Students told to embrace new frontier and expand skill set

By Sheria Brathwaite 

Twenty-four students from various primary and secondary schools across the island are being challenged to push their creativity to the maximum level using robotics to stimulate their curiosity and tap problem-solving skills.

The opportunity to do just that has come through the Barbados Robotics Team’s three-week camp, being held at Queen’s College, St James.

Camp director Matthew Douglas said the children, aged nine to 18, were learning a variety of skills such as 3D modeling, electronics, coding, mechanical structure designing and building teleoperation robots from scratch.

“This camp is all about challenging students. When they first came here they said they never saw anything of this magnitude. So this was not only an opportunity to expose them to robotics, but to engage them in character-building activities, where they will have to work as a team to complete a fully-functioning robot,” he said.

Douglas added that at the end of the camp the students will be able to use the robots to complete various tasks and there would be an inhouse competition. 

He added that it was important that children are exposed to robotics at an early age as it was the frontier of the future.

“We want children to understand that robotics can be applied to different subject areas and can be used in agriculture, medicine and so forth. So it would help children with their problem-solving skills, they will get hands-on experience, boost their creativity and logical thinking skills while having fun.”

Douglas, who is also an electrical and electronics engineering technology teacher at Combermere, said there was a need for all the industrial departments in schools across the island and region to engage students in robotics which has the potential to be a significant foreign exchange earner in sectors such as manufacturing, processing, production and operations. 

The schools taking part in the camp are Combermere, Ellerslie, The Lodge School, Queen’s College, West Terrace Primary, The Alleyne School, Rock Christian Primary and Arthur Smith Primary. sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb]]>