Robotics, creativity and teamwork shine in another edition of Rob9-16 Summer Camp
Over the last two weeks, from July 14 to 25, around twenty young participants took part in another edition of Rob9-16 Summer Camp, an initiative held at the Oeiras campus of Instituto Superior Técnico. With a hands-on and experimental approach, the program introduced core concepts in electronics, programming, 3D modeling, and robotics through challenges designed to spark scientific curiosity among participants aged 9 to 16.
The highlight of this summer’s edition was the construction of a robotic sunflower, capable of tracking the direction of sunlight (or a flashlight) using light sensors. The activity combined concepts of electronics, light detection, and Arduino programming, giving participants a practical understanding of how automated systems inspired by nature work. “The idea is that the sunflower turns toward the brightest light. We’re going to assemble everything using sensors and motors,” explained Francisco, 12 years old, excited about the project and its final result.
Throughout the two weeks, participants also engaged in creative construction activities, such as designing boats made from simple materials that had to stay afloat while carrying the weight of several coins, or building balloon, or elastic, powered cars without any prior instructions. For Ludmylla Wonsoscky, an undergraduate student in Electronic Engineering and one of the monitors, the most impressive part was witnessing the initiative shown by the younger participants: “Some groups managed to get their cars to work without any hints—just using the materials provided. Interestingly, some of the best results came from 10-year-olds.”
The philosophy behind the Rob9-16 club is to encourage creativity and independent thinking. According to Ludmylla, the most enthusiastic moments often happen when participants are given the freedom to explore and test their own ideas: “They get more motivated when they are the ones making the decisions. Each group finds a different solution, and they learn a lot from each other.”
Despite their young age, the participants showed a strong interest in science and engineering. João Madeira, 10 years old, discovered Rob9-16 through his grandmother and quickly became passionate about the experience: “I love physics, chemistry, and electronics. I especially enjoyed the activity where we soldered a mini rocket.”
In addition to the technical challenges, the program also included lighter, team-oriented activities, such as campus-wide scavenger hunts, which encouraged collaboration and reasoning. “This week we had a bunch of activities: we built a boat to see which one could hold the most coins in water, we did 3D modeling, soldering. It was all really cool” said Francisco.
Rob9-16 is a robotics club that runs during school breaks — Easter, Christmas, and Summer — with the mission of bringing young students closer to emerging technologies, while promoting curiosity and real world problem solving. Created in the 2014/2015 academic year, it has become a reference in youth scientific and technological education, with Técnico students actively involved as monitors and mentors.