Disseminating mechatronics research results (via science and engineering exhibitions)

To overcome engineering skills shortages in the UK, national science and engineering bodies are actively trying to encourage 11-14 year old pupils to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects. One strategy is to bring exciting developments in science and engineering to their attention through science exhibitions. This paper describes the preparation of an exhibit for the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering to showcase the results of our research in mechatronics engineering that has developed wall and pipe climbing robots and swimming robots for a wide range of industrial inspection tasks. The exhibit is titled “Robot Detectives: Sherlock Holmes meets Spiderman”. It interactively demonstrates wall and pipe climbing robots, swimming robots, magnetic flux concentration principles with levitation rigs, and ultrasound and eddy current techniques for non-destructive testing.