Pembroke College, Cambridge - LEGO Robotics Workshop

This intensive practical course focuses on technical problem solving, engineering and programming using LEGO Mindstorms sets. Students design, build and program autonomous robotic systems to perform tasks such as navigating a maze, sorting blocks by colour, or playing tic-tac-toe, and gain experience in research, design, hardware construction and software implementation.

After introductory exercises, teams of two students choose and develop their own projects with instructor guidance. The course emphasises hands-on exploration with minimal formal lecturing and culminates in team presentations where students demonstrate their robots and share what they have learned.

The course is capped at 16 students and runs twice (Module 1 and Module 2); students may take only one module.

No previous knowledge is required; students with prior programming experience will focus more on the hardware, while those new to programming will develop their software skills. The course also develops problem solving, teamwork and project management abilities.