The Southern River College Robotics team has united with Ashburton Drive Primary School to inspire a new generation of passionate robotics builders.
The collaboration includes visits to the primary school where the team recently showcased the exciting world of robotics.
Designed for events such as the ‘FIRST Robotics Competition’ (FRC) and the Western Australian Robotics Playoffs (WARP), Garry the robot (Pictured above) is now also being used to promote robotics programs in local schools to showcase that robotics can be for everyone.
Lachlan Clyne, the Specialist Science Teacher at Ashburton Drive Primary School, helped arrange the event, which is the Southern River team’s second visit to the school.
The Ashburton Drive Primary School Robotics Club now consists of 17 members aged between 10 and 12 years. And meet after school once a week to work with codable LEGO robots, aiming to compete in the ‘First LEGO League’ Tournament.
Mr Clyne said the visits have helped generate a new passion among many students.
“The visits have driven interest in robotics and been the impetus for students seeking to join the club,” he said.
“The SRC students are great communicators and are wonderful educators for our students. The robotics demonstrations ignite curiosity and excitement, students start to bubble up and you can see they want to know why, and how they too, can participate in robotics.”
Mr Clyne emphasised the increasing confidence of the students and is encouraging others to participate wherever possible.
“Robotics can seem daunting at first, but it is accessible with the right encouragement, and great outcomes are achievable,” Mr Clyne said.
As technology in our society continues to rapidly advance, Mr Clyne believes it’s important for students to engage with the latest innovations.
“The integration of robotics in society has been supercharged by advancements like Open AI, impacting everyday life. We want our students to feel competent, capable, and confident in engaging with these future-driven changes.”
Ashburton Drive Primary School is among thirteen local schools taking part in the Gosnells Robotics Clubs Program. This initiative, championed by John Townley from Southern River College and backed by a Schools Plus grant, assists schools in designing, building, and competing with robots.
