Community & Business
5 June, 2025
Robotics workshop challenges young minds
On Friday, Biddeston State School hosted students from across the region for an innovative Darling Downs robotics workshop to develop critical science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) skills.
With the emergence of initiatives such as the RoboCup Junior Darling Downs Regional Competition (set for next month at Concordia Lutheran College) maybe robots really are the way of the future?
Jay Wright, technology teacher at Vale View State School and treasurer of RoboCup Junior Queensland said the workshop was a chance for students to fine tune their skills, troubleshoot problems and learn from their peers.
“In a school environment, it’s really hard to find enough time to dedicate to these things, so this gives them a whole day where they can work on their projects in a decent amount of time to make some progress,” he said.
Mr Wright said robotic competitions are extremely diverse with something for everyone – creative dancing robots, line rescue robots, maze rescue robots, and even a sumo division.
“Robotics is challenging for kids (competitively) in Grade 3 all the way up to the highest level of students in Grade 12, where we have a soccer league which have robots that play soccer and use computer vision and AI,” he said.
“If anyone is keeping up with what’s happening in the world it’s AI and robotics.
“We need to start including that as a priority in the education system.”
Digital technologies are already part of the school curriculum but Mr Wright said participating in competitions could be encouraged more by schools.
“The competition side of it pushes excellence,” he said.
“We don’t just need average abilities, we need to push talent so we can stay competitive with the world, and our kids will not just survive, but thrive in this field.”
While some schools achieve excellence in the world of robotics, students from Millmerran State School have had the opportunity to participate in STEM workshops delivered annually by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Millmerran Power.
These workshops have covered a range of concepts including light reflection, robotic programming for remote vehicles and machinery design.
