Introducing Wellington's all-new robotics lab

When I arrived at Wellington last year, we had a robotics programme for our younger pupils, but I saw potential for so much more. I wanted to make it bigger and more accessible to pupils across all year groups. I also saw this as an opportunity to grow our computer science curriculum, to transition it from sitting in front of computers to something more interactive and hands-on. After nearly a year of planning and designing, we now have a dedicated space on campus where our pupils can do this — our new robotics lab.

Why robotics? Computer science can be very abstract, so abstract that it belies just how much impact computers have on our daily lives. Software now has so many applications in things we use everyday. It goes well beyond gaming and online shopping. The interaction between software and hardware touches so many things we experience and use. The modern car, for instance, is basically a computer with seats and wheels. We all easily forget that most of the things we purchase and use are made by machines. They are largely controlled by computers and operate on lines and lines of code.

Our new robotics lab is a place where pupils across all year groups can build things, test them out and ultimately learn how to bridge the gap between software and hardware. We have a wall-to-wall cabinet filled with parts, components and endless possibilities.

Our younger pupils are working with pre-assembled or partially assembled robots that they can program to perform sequences of actions, like interacting with and navigating the environment. Our pupils in years 9 and above are working with programmable rovers. They assemble them to learn how the parts interact and how the system functions as a whole. IGCSE and IB pupils can learn how computer parts work together by assembling computers and installing software. In addition, they have the opportunity to develop custom AI or networked applications using single-board computers.

Pupils will also get to work with an array of sensors and input components, and they will be able to develop applications by applying logic to those input data. For instance, they can build lie detectors with humidity and temperature sensors, because, as we all know, the palms sweat and the body temperature rises when we lie. Of course, the point of such an exercise is not to teach our pupils high-tech interrogation techniques. Rather, this is an interactive way to teach a fundamental principle of computer science: input, process and output.

All of these activities and more will make our computer science curriculum more relatable, more memorable and more fun as they learn how their programming skills can manifest in the physical world.

Also, we recently held our first-ever Wellington College International Shanghai Hackathon! On Saturday 27 November, we hosted an all-day event for coders and programmers from Shanghai international schools and beyond. Using sensors and/or third-party data, they spent the day developing applications to facilitate health and safety, such as posture and fitness tracking, social distance monitoring, disability assistance, intelligent face mask wearing and a wealth of other Internet of Things applications. Our programmers developed some truly impressive tools with lots of potential real-world applications.