Every year for the past three years, we have taken part in the Aberystwyth University robotics’, annual outreach event, called Beachlab. It is catered towards bringing robots to the public, who otherwise might not have the chance to interact with them. It promotes engineering, maths, and robotics in general to people of all ages, and particularly inspires children (which is cool), in the heart of mid-Wales.
We couldn’t attend last year due to health reasons, so we were very excited to go this year. The event’s regular venue is the bandstand on the beautiful Aberystwyth seafront. The last time we attended Beachlab, the event was called Beachlab:Relocated, which took place on University grounds due to many COVID-19 restrictions being still in place. This time, we were eager to see it take place in its usual venue.
It is a great event, and has a goal that aligns with our message really well. Robotics is for, and can be done by anyone, regardless of age, gender, or otherwise. It’s an event that allows people to be close to robots, and learn in an exciting, and judgement free way.
We had fourteen robots that we wanted to bring along, however parts of A.R.T.I. 1 (Aerona), broke before we were going to pack her, so we ended up leaving her at home and bringing the other thirteen with us. The robots we brought were A.R.T.I 2 through 5, Silent Hill Head, Terror Ted, four teapot racers, our robotic Christmas tree (Coed-Anne), our unfinished dragonfly, and an RC robot made of Lego.
There was a lot of interest in the event from people walking up and down the seafront. From the moment we all started setting up, and about fifteen minutes before the event actually started, there was a sudden increase of visitors who were eager to see what was happening in the bandstand. So much so, that the event started much earlier than it otherwise would have.
From then on, it was very busy. We had a never-ending stream of people interested in our robots. From small children excited to see interactive robots, to older people that might have had previous experience with technical things, but never went any further with their interests. Very quickly, the room was heaving with a large amount of people eager to learn. The only photos we have of the day, show our table completely empty, because there were so many people to engage with, the only chance we had to take images of the event, were in a few quieter moments.
The day moved quickly, with us having to take turns minding the stand while we ate our lunch. We got so much engagement that it took us a few days to process everything that happened.
As the day progressed, the large crowd slowed as the weather changed slightly. It allowed us to run some robots around. Mostly our two smaller brass teapot racers, and A.R.T.I 4, who was favoured by children, due to her smiling face.
Terror Ted was one of the most interesting robots for us on the day. There were a great portion of small children who did not like him very much, with one poor child in particular recoiling in shock and fear as he spotted him. We assured him that Terror Ted wasn’t going to hurt him, and that the bear was just being grumpy. The same child soon cheered up as he spotted our shiny Robotic Christmas Tree, as did many other children.
It was a great learning experience, (as it is every year we attend), and the feedback we get for both our completed and unfinished projects is invaluable. We have a large six-legged robot, that we took as a filler for the table (as it is unfinished). People mostly guessed that it might become a spider, but when we told them it was to be a dragonfly, they became really interested, and we received lots of suggestions. Feedback on our robots does affect them, and it inspires us sometimes to create differently.
One thing we continuously advocate for is that this website and its advice isn’t solely for children. Inspiring children is a big part of what we do with our outreach, sure, but we are equally aware that adults have similar fears about engaging with robotics systems, stopping them from trying to get into robotics, or learning later in life. There were many adults that showed interest throughout the day, but there was one elderly gentleman in particular that caught our attention.
Over the course of a conversation, it was discovered that this gentleman was a bus mechanic in his day, with an interest in engineering, but was worried that everything was just too complicated for him to possibly understand these days (especially robotics), so he never tried. Our team-member, Emma, talked with him and explained how each one of our robots worked. By the end of the conversation, he understood, and was beaming. He thanked and shook her hand multiple times. He walked away happy, and it was by far one of the best encounters we had that day.
Sometimes, all that is needed is patience, and reassurance. It’s never too late to learn.
As always, Beachlab is incredible fun. We enjoy seeing other people’s work, and of course the interactions with the public, are what make it memorable, different, and exciting every year. We look forward to next year, as we have been invited again (yayy)!
We have plans for more spectacular, interesting, and complex robots. Hopefully completed before next year rolls around.
Cerys
#RoboticsIsForEveryone
