Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
For a number of years schools from the Control Technology Empowering Minds Project were invited to exhibit their work at the Esat BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
Below are some of the projects that we have exhibited at the Young Scientist Exhibition.
You can find full details of these projects on our Projects and Robots page.
The Break-In
In 2003 we exhibited a project which we called “The Break-In”. We based it on a story of a robbery in a house. We built robots to represent the Owner of the house and the Robber. We put them into a wooden house and we decorated the house. We also built a robotic Jewellery Cabinet and robotic front and back doors. All these robots communicated with each other so that the story could run through from start to finish without us having to start or stop the robots. At least that was the idea! If you follow this link it will take you to the page where we show all the different models we have built.
Earthquake in Springfield
In 2002 our project was based on a story of an earthquake in Springfield, the home town of the Simpsons. We built a model of the town and we built robots to represent two trucks, the nuclear power station, the mine, and a bridge over the River Homer. The story is about an earthquake which damages the nuclear power station. Containers of nuclear waste have to be transported from the power station, over the river and deposited deep in the mine. You can find all about the project if you follow the link below to our page of models and robots.
The U.S. Voting Paper Reader
In the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election there was huge confusion over whether some votes should be counted or not. The problem was to decide which were valid votes and which were not. Many people had problems with the computerised voting because there was no way to change your mind when a mark had been made.
In 2001 we exhibited a project in which we set out to design a voting paper reader that would allow a voter to change their mind and still have the vote read properly by the machine.
The Wooden Horse of Troy
Also in 2001 another group recreated a robotic version of the Siege of Troy and of the Wooden Horse opening the gates and entering the city. The final part of the action was a simulation of the walls of Troy burning.
The Robotic Nature Quiz
In 2000 the junior classes created a Nature Quiz where the questions asked depended upon where their robot stopped. The robot was running a program with a random time setting.
Ally, The Adding Alligator
In the same year the senior pupils designed Ally, The Adding Alligator. This was an alligator with a flair for Maths. The alligator could move up and down a number line in response to inputs from touch sensors and solve addition sums up to 10 plus 10.
Theseus and the Minotaur
In our first year at the Young Scientist Exhibition, in 1999, the senior classes recreated the Greek myth Theseus and the Minotaur, in which they built a robotic version of Theseus, which could find its way to the centre of the labyrinth, defeat the Minotaur and find its way back out – occasionally! This project was inspired by our Comenius Project, in which we shared myths and legends with pupils in our project partner schools in Crete, Austria and Sweden.
Alice Kyteler
That year the junior classes represented the story of our local witch, Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny. This was also part of our Comenius Project work.
Details of these projects on our Projects and Robots page.