Abstract
IET volunteers are working with local partners to put Robot Day at the heart of Coventry City of Culture 2021.
Coventry will become the UK City of Culture in 2021. IET volunteers are working with Coventry University, the city’s museums, local business, educators and other partners to put Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) at the heart of the celebrations.
Robot Day is a fast-growing, volunteer-led celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) that explores all things robotic and is aimed at everyone from toddlers to academics. The inaugural Robot Day Coventry on 09 March 2019 attracted over 5500 visitors and the venue, Coventry Transport Museum, doubled its all-time attendance record with 7000 through the doors. The event was facilitated by 150 volunteers, and inspired people of all generations with a host of interactive activities, displays, presentations and artistic performances.
The organisers aim to grow the event to become a city-wide event in 2021. This will showcase Coventry as a global centre of excellence for robotics and manufacturing and attract the best robotics and artificial intelligence expertise from overseas to Coventry to engage with local companies and researchers. The event will be guided by a programme of community engagement. Schools will be invited to work alongside local businesses to design a robot to appear alongside human performers in a major competition.
