IF Oxford: Designing the future- engineers reimagining the world

Researchers from the Department of Engineering Science will be showcasing their work and helping to get people excited about the future of engineering during IF Oxford, the Oxford science and ideas Festival.

Running a series of hands-on demos and activities covering robotics, healthcare, electronics and space travel, they are aiming to demonstrate to the Oxford public how modern engineering is applied to a range of real-life situations.

In the Westgate Wonderlab on Saturday 19 October, our engineers will be running demonstrations themed around ‘Designing the future- engineers reimagining the world’, with hands-on activities based around their latest research - from the future of robotics, wireless power toys and origami structures, to smartphone apps that aid recovery from strokes.

The department's Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) will be represented not just by human researchers but also by Betty the Robot, who was originally designed to carry out service roles in offices and care homes. She now performs more of an ambassadorial role for the ORI at venues like Blenheim Palace and Pembroke College, meeting visitors from all over the world. (You can follow her on Twitter @BettyStrands).

Emily Kwong and Leo De Almedia E Bueno from the department's Institute of Biomedical Engineering will help IF visitors to build a working circuit with lights and switches using conductive ink and paperclips.

No booking required - just turn up! Pick up a free programme from Waterstones, Oxford Town Hall, the Oxford Museum of Natural History, Oxford Brookes or Westgate Oxford.