‘Robots vs Animals’ was a creative collaboration between engineers and zoologists, exploring the ingenuity of both nature and humankind. The project was organised and managed by the Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE), and funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards. The project communicated the stories of the engineering design process taken by Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) engineers to create biologically inspired robots. Interactive sessions at Bristol Zoo Gardens and other public venues and events featured engineers and zoologists explaining and demonstrating the skills and processes of their respective charges

Boushel, Corra

Fogg-Rogers, Laura A.

Sardo, Margarida

English

UWE Bristol Research Repository

Robots vs Animals: Learning from the Ingenuity of Nature  Final Summary Report August 2015   “Thank you for coming to our school and showing us your wonderful robots. When I grow up I want to be one of you!” (Child, aged 7).  Science Communication Unit, UWE Bristol  Laura Fogg-Rogers Corra Boushel Margarida Sardo  Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 1    Contents  1. Executive Summary.......................................................................................... 2 2. Project Objectives ............................................................................................ 4 3. Project Activities ............................................................................................... 5 4. Evaluation ......................................................................................................... 6 4.1. Methods ..................................................................................................... 6 4.2. Outcomes .................................................................................................. 6 5. Project Highlights ............................................................................................. 8 5.1. Workshops and Festivals ........................................................................... 8 5.2. National Competition .................................................................................. 9 5.3. Website and Social Media ....................................................................... 10 5.4. Media ....................................................................................................... 11    Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 2  1. Executive Summary  ‘Robots vs Animals’ was a creative collaboration between engineers and zoologists, exploring the ingenuity of both nature and humankind. The project was organised and managed by the Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE), and funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards. The project communicated the stories of the engineering design process taken by Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) engineers to create biologically inspired robots. Interactive sessions at Bristol Zoo Gardens and other public venues and events featured engineers and zoologists explaining and demonstrating the skills and processes of their respective charges.    Permissions were obtained for all photos shown in this report.   Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 3  All project objectives for activities were surpassed, with a total of 29 engineers involved in the project (ten of whom were women). Ten Early Career Researchers (ECRs) received tailored bespoke public engagement training and presented their research as part of interactive sessions for 11-14 year olds at Bristol Zoo Gardens, along with opportunities at other public events and media. Five Principal Investigator (PI) senior researchers presented at major public events, as well as mentoring the ECRs throughout the project. The project also facilitated a further 14 ECRs to receive STEM Ambassador training, and eight of these participated in public events under the Robots vs Animals theme.   Collaboration with external visitor attractions and festivals was a hallmark of the project and indeed is one of the most successful resulting legacies. Four central themes (narratives) were developed and featured swarm robotics, communication, sensing, and Microbial Fuel Cells. Face-to-face live science events formed the backbone of the project, and in total 31 events were organised across the South West region, reaching around 1010 children and 180 adults in interactive presentations, along with thousands more through festival exhibits. These narratives have been developed further through a website (http://robotsvsanimals.net), social media (@robotsvsanimals), written materials, online videos, activity guidelines for public events, and worksheets or case studies for schools.  Qualitative data from the project evaluation indicated that the engineers enjoyed being part of the project and thought it was well organised. Quantitative data indicated that the ECRs felt more able to “demonstrate engineering activities in outreach sessions effectively” and significantly improved their perceived self-efficacy to conduct engineering outreach following the project. Quantitative audience data indicated that most participants surveyed thought the interactive sessions were ‘excellent’ or ‘above average’. Qualitative audience data indicated that they thought engineering was ‘exciting’, ‘creative’, and ‘relevant to the real world’.  The project has greatly strengthened a culture of public engagement at the BRL with increased institutional recognition of activities and their value. The value of collaborating with other organisations to provide innovative and supported public engagement activities has been recognised and there is also strong support for a dedicated project coordinator to promote and highlight public engagement within the organisation and externally.    Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 4  2. Project Objectives   Stimulate 10 junior engineers and five senior engineers to develop creative stories and demonstrations about their research and the wider field. o The project will develop at least three overarching narratives along with training on the public engagement and storytelling skills needed to communicate these in different formats to different audiences.   Provide opportunities for Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) engineers to experience the challenges and opportunities of public engagement. o The project will operate at least nineteen face-to-face encounters as well as developing digital media outlet opportunities. The project caters for different career level engineers, and will foster relationships with community attractions and festivals so that these opportunities will continue.  Provide audiences with visual, interactive encounters that will encourage awareness of both robotic design and the niche skills of the animals featured. o While the project name engenders conflict, it is designed to generate discussion and raise awareness of engineering robotics, biomimetics and its potential, through at least nineteen face to face encounters, media coverage and digital media outlets.    Reach audiences interested in biology and ecology who may not normally be interested in engineering, and stimulate dialogue between the two fields. o The project will work with audiences interested in biology and the environment, in collaboration with Bristol Zoo and the Festival of Nature. Overall the project will reach around 450 children and 160 adults in interactive presentations, along with the potential to reach hundreds of people nationally through the website and competition.   Enable follow-up of these encounters and discussions for both engineers and audiences. o The project will develop a website, written materials, and social media discussion for the general public, along with biomimetic design story case studies for teachers, schools and science centres.       Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 5  3. Project Activities  Target Actual Fifteen engineers recruited 29 engineers involved; 10 core ECRs, 5 PIs and 14 additional ECRs Fifteen school interactive workshops (Key Stage 3 - 11-14 year olds) 13 interactive workshops with KS3 reached approximately 250 KS3 students. Seven interactive workshops with KS2 reaching 560 students. One teacher CPD event Four school/community open day stalls reaching approximately 300 students and families. Two general public events  Three general public events (City of Bristol Day; Pint of Science 2015; Café Scientifique 2015)  Two festival events; Bristol Festival of Nature 2014 and Bristol Green City 2015 Four festival events (Festival of Nature 2014, 2015; Bristol Bright Night 2014; Harbour Festival 2015) Schools competition for Green City 2015 with award ceremony at Bristol Festival of Nature 2015 Nationally announced schools competition for 6-18 year olds. Certificates given at Festival of Nature 2015. Approximately 70 entrants. Website with learning materials, along with social media discussion. The website http://robotsvsanimals.net received 3,300 visitors June 2014-June 2015, of whom approx. 70% were UK based.  The highest viewed @robotsvsanimals tweet (referring to a female robot engineer as a role model) received 15,500 views. Professionally produced short film collaboration: At Bristol https://www.youtube.com/user/atbristol      Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 6  4. Evaluation  4.1. Methods  Questionnaires were designed using valid and reliable methods of questioning to evaluate responses to the public events (audiences) and project participation (engineers). A pre-participation written questionnaire and self-efficacy test were completed by the ten core ECR engineers at the start of the project. The self-efficacy test was repeated at the end of the project, and descriptive and analytical statistics were completed. All ECRs and senior engineers were also interviewed at the end of the project by a science communication academic. Interviews were transcribed in full and analysed using the general inductive technique.  Written questionnaires were completed by audiences where possible, or event evaluation data was shared by external organisers. Schoolchildren were not surveyed due to ethics consenting, but teachers provided feedback on behalf of their classes. Descriptive statistics were completed. Audience numbers were gathered through observation and event organiser statistics.   4.2. Outcomes  All project objectives for activities were surpassed, with a total of 29 engineers from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) involved in the project (ten of whom were women). Of these, ten core ECRs (five female) were recruited to the project. Eight had bespoke public engagement training, and two accessed alternative training opportunities as a result of the project. Eight ECR presented their research as part of interactive sessions for 11-14 year olds at Bristol Zoo Gardens, and two were involved in preparing materials for the Zoo sessions or presenting to media and other public events. Five of the core ECRs were PhD students, two were lecturers, two were post-doctoral fellows and one was a research associate. Five PI senior researchers presented at major public events, as well as mentoring the ECRs throughout the project. The project also facilitated a further 14 ECRs to receive STEM Ambassador training. 12 of these were PhD students, one was a research associate, and one was a start-up entrepreneur. Eight of these additional ECRs participated in public events under the Robots vs Animals theme.   The collaboration between Bristol Zoo Gardens and the BRL, facilitated by a project coordinator, enabled the development of in depth stories about biologically inspired robots. Four main themes were developed, creating narratives for public events and online materials featuring; swarm robotics, communication, sensing (whiskers), and Microbial Fuel Cells. Face to face live events formed the backbone of the project, and in total 31 events were organised across the South West region. Overall the Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 7  project reached around 1010 children and 180 adults in interactive presentations, along with thousands more through festival exhibits.   The Robots vs Animals narratives have been developed further through written materials, online videos, activity guidelines for public events, worksheets for schools, and social media engagement. Worksheets for school use have also been shared on the Times Educational Supplement and other learning resources websites. Case studies describing the career routes of the female and the Black and Minority Ethnic engineers in the project have been disseminated on the Women’s Engineering Society and the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service websites.   Qualitative data from the project evaluation indicated that the engineers enjoyed being part of the project, thought it was well organised, and were interested in the project goals for future public engagement. Quantitative data indicated that most of the ECR participants (9/10) felt more able to “demonstrate engineering activities in outreach sessions effectively” and “communicate engineering concepts effectively to students during outreach activities” after participating in Robots vs Animals. The core ten ECRs significantly improved their perceived self-efficacy to conduct engineering outreach following the project. Quantitative audience data indicated that most participants surveyed thought the interactive sessions were ‘excellent’ or ‘above average’. Qualitative audience data indicated that they thought engineering was ‘exciting’, ‘creative’, and ‘relevant to the real world’.  Perhaps most importantly, the project has greatly strengthened a culture of public engagement at the BRL with increased institutional recognition of activities and their value. Public demonstration kits have been created as a pooled resource in the BRL for public events, to reduce damage to research robotics. This was a key barrier for academic engineers to take part in public engagement, so the use of ‘show robots’ has enabled greater commitment to activities. Future PhD students will all receive STEM Ambassador training as part of the FARSCOPE Doctoral programme, and there is now recognition of public engagement on the external BRL website http://www.brl.ac.uk/publicengagement.aspx. Institutionally, the value of collaborating with other organisations to provide innovative and supported public engagement activities has been recognised. There is also strong support for a dedicated project coordinator to promote and highlight public engagement within the organisation and externally.     Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 8  5. Project Highlights  5.1. Workshops and Festivals  Photos from Key Stage 3 Events     Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 9  5.2. National Competition   ‘What amazing animal ability would you use to design a useful robot?’  http://robotsvsanimals.net/competition/      Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 10  Here are the guiding questions to help students (5-18 years) “think like a robot engineer.”  1) What problem does your robot solve? A useful robot is one that solves a problem, for example How can robotics help us become more sustainable? How might robots support our health and wellbeing? How can robots help us to explore dangerous or difficult to reach places? 2) What animal or animals have you been inspired by? How has biomimicry influenced your design? How does biomimicry improve your design? 3) What would your robot be made of? Why? How will it be powered? How will it work? 4) What problems might you need to overcome? What have you done to improve the design? What alternatives did you consider and reject?   5.3. Website and Social Media  http://robotsvsanimals.net        Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 11  Most popular tweets @robotsvsanimals       5.4. Media  5.4.1. Press releases and internal coverage  Robots vs Animals: The Bristol Robotics Laboratory learning from the ingenuity of nature http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=2819  Design an animal-inspired robot competition http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=2960  UWE Bristol bring Robots vs Animals to Bristol Zoo http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=2988  UWE Bristol Department of Engineering, Design and Mathematics Newsletter   Zoo Internal Staff and Volunteers newsletter  Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 12  5.4.2. Newspaper and magazine coverage  Clifton Life Magazine ‘Bristol Bright Night’ listing   The Engineer Magazine, ‘Honouring yesterday's engineers and the creativity of tomorrow's engineers’ http://www.theengineer.co.uk/blog/honouring-yesterdays-engineers-and-the-creativity-of-tomorrows-engineers/1019437.article       Robots vs Animals Final Report 2015, UWE Bristol 13  5.4.3. TV, podcast and radio coverage  BCFM local radio ‘Love and Science’ programme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7tAhUJSo7s (3rd November 2014)  The Cosmic Shed podcast Episode 6 (March 2015) http://www.thecosmicshed.com/   ‘Made in Bristol TV’ news item (6th Nov 2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7tAhUJSo7s  BBC Radio Bristol interview (17th July 2015) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02vm8ck#auto   5.4.4. School websites reporting on their Robots vs Animals activities  Bristol Grammar School “Behaving like Animals” http://www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk/News/Behaving-like-animals.aspx  St. Julian’s School, Newport http://www.stjuliansschool.co.uk/robots-vs-animals-bristol-zoo/  Mangotsfield School, Bristol  http://www.mangotsfieldschool.org.uk/c/asset/2014-15%20Newsletter/Newsletter%208%20-27th%20March%202015-FINAL.pdf   5.4.5. Promotion on educational/teacher-facing websites  STEMNet South West School newsletter Autumn 2014  STEM in Wales website promotion of Zoo sessions STEM in Wales website promotion of competition Science Oxford Website promotion of competition STEM Wilts and Dorset promotion of competition Make Things Do Stuff website Derbyshire Education Business Partnership website    

Robots vs animals: Learning from the ingenuity of nature. Final summary report

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Robots vs animals: Learning from the ingenuity of nature. Final summary report

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