Cumbrian College Students Showcase Robotic Solutions at RAICo1

6 June 2025: Students aged 16 to 18 from three Cumbrian colleges have showcased their robotic solutions at an event at RAICo1, the Robotics and AI Collaboration facility in Whitehaven, Cumbria. The event marked the culmination of the Robotics Sprint schools challenge – a collaboration between the Cumbrian-based Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) and Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), with support from volunteers from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Sellafield Ltd.

The six-week challenge involved teams from West Coast Sixth Form Centre, Energy Coast UTC, and Lakes College West Cumbria. They have been working on designing, building, and programming small robots capable of tackling a mock version of a real-world nuclear decommissioning challenge – gathering high hazard waste barrels from a hot cell area and moving them to a storage area. To do this, students created various attachments for their robots and programmed them to move along a winding track.

At the final showcase, the students presented their solutions and gave live demonstrations to an audience of industry delegates, educators, and judges. As part of their presentations, they reflected on the brief, sharing the challenges and triumphs they encountered along the way, and highlighted the technical and soft skills they developed. 

Following the presentations, West Coast Sixth Form Centre was announced as the winning team, impressing the judges with their robot, named ‘Monty’. 

The programme gave the students, who are studying A levels and T levels in fields such as cyber security and digital, hands-on experience of applying their course skills to real-world challenges. During weekly ‘sprint’ sessions, they developed capabilities in mechanical design, coding, problem-solving and teamwork, with hands-on coaching from experts working in robotics, AI, and engineering. The experts also gave students an insight into their work, and advice on career paths.

Kirsty Hewitson, Director Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo), commented: “What a truly marvelous day, thanks to everybody who’s contributed to it. It’s amazing to see how enthusiastic and committed the students have been with some phenomenal designs and outcomes. One of my favourite days of the year.”

Gary McKeating, Managing Director, Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), commented: “I’m always amazed by the ability of the students to deliver on a project that only lasts a few weeks. As well as the technical skills, it’s great to see some of the softer skills have been worked on as well. In particular Lakes College powering through some challenges early in the sprint and getting to a great conclusion with their robot.”

James Partington, Director of Engineering Policy & Impact, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, commented: “It was fantastic to see the hard work of the students come to fruition at RAICo1 today. It was a practical application of science, and they demonstrated an excellent grasp of different engineering disciplines in delivering their demonstrator robots, which will no doubt put them in a strong position as they take steps towards a career in engineering.

“The support from the IMechE, iSH, RAICo and industry representatives is very welcome. Their collaborative effort to inspire and support the next generation of engineers is working well and will benefit the West Cumbria region through the creation of a strong pipeline of future engineers.”

Abigail Gibbon, one of the winning students from West Coast Sixth Form Centre, commented: “Its made me want to consider robotics in the future.”

RAICo and iSH welcome interest from partners interested in supporting future school sprints. Please contact [email protected] for more information, or to register interest.