The United States Consulate General Lagos, in collaboration with RoboRAVE International, a U.S.-based robotics education academy, trained 187 Nigerian students on robotics. Robotics deals with the design, construction, operation and use of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback and information processing.
These technologies are used to develop machines that can substitute for humans and replicate human actions. Speaking during the robotics workshop on Saturday in Lagos, the U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Mr Russell Brooks, said that there was the need to acquire the required skills for the technology’s future.
Brooks said that the training was toward the U.S. Consulate’s mission to encourage good relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. He said that the workshop was meant to boost technology education in Nigeria by engaging the participating students in hands-on robotics activities.
According to him, the training is to stimulate students’ interest in maths and sciences, as well as careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. “At some point in life, you are going to look for job to earn money to support your family. “In order to do that, you are going to need to acquire the required skills.
“The future of technology is going to be based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), hence, the need for robotics training,’’ he said. The Director, RoboRAVE Nigeria, Mr Kingsley Imade, said that the national event was the second edition in Nigeria and was to prepare students for the future.
Imade said that RoboRAVE would be having states training in schools in Ondo, Enugu, Asaba, Yenagoa and Osogbo. He said that the third edition of the national robotics workshop would be held in October 2019. The 187 students are from 29 primary and secondary schools across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, and Edo States, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The workshop was facilitated by an international faculty, including RoboRAVE International Director of Global Programmes, Mr Russ Fisher-Ives and RoboRAVE North America Director, Mr Brian Montoya. (NAN)
Pix: Robotics
