Year 11 Software Engineering Students Visit HKPC Robotics Exhibition

Last Thursday, the Year 11 Software Engineering class visited the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to experience the cutting-edge world of robotics and automation.

Danny Freer, Secondary Teacher, explained, “Our main purpose in visiting HKPC was to give real-world context to the Mechatronics unit we just completed in Software Engineering. Mechatronics involves the integration of mechanical systems, electronics, and software—most commonly seen in robotics. While we’ve studied these systems in theory, seeing them in action helped students understand how software interacts with hardware in automated systems. It also sparked valuable discussions about the ethical and social implications of AI and robotics, which are key considerations in software development today. The visit also provided a preview of the topics of AI and software automation that we'll be studying in a future unit of the course."

When asked about the technology that had the biggest impact, Freer shared, "The most impressive were the small, agile robots. One could perform martial arts moves with remarkable fluidity, while another demonstrated soccer skills and, most impressively, could regain its balance and gracefully stand up after being knocked over.”

"The students really enjoyed seeing that and it helped them to connect these behaviours to concepts such as embedded software, sensor integration, and real-time system response," he added.

Student Reflections:

"It supported my view that in the future robots will be everywhere. We’ll get used to them being around. It’ll just be a common sighting. Designing robots would be pretty cool."

"The most surprising thing was the diversity of robots - from flying robots for airport inspections to window-washing and waiter robots. It raised concerns about how AI and robotics could replace jobs, as they can perform tasks in areas like search and rescue, construction, and hospitality. Then we have to think about our approach to managing how the robots will affect the job market in the future with how many things they can do."