Twinkl RoboticsA national competition and a joint project of the UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network and Twinkl. The competition is for school groups only, and pupils must be aged between 8 - 14 years old.
Create automated robots to accomplish tasks on the Mars Surface. Build your robot with sensors, motors and other pieces then program the components for operation of the martian terrain. Send the robot out to complete the challenges! Download for iOS here. |
ResponsibilitiesCreation of low-poly in game assets including robot model components complete with representative textures.
I took a lead design role on the art style and discussed with the developers how the game mechanics would relate visually. User testing with Key Stage 2 pupils leading focus groups to discover faults and guide development of the app, feeding back critical information to the team and providing write-ups of testing for further review. Production of renders for use on the app and website to illustrate the content of the product. |
Tools UsedBlender 3D for all modelling of assets, utilising low poly hard surface and sculpting modelling techniques to ensure accuracy with reference material.
Materialize, Photoshop and Blender to produce PBR textures for assets. I also liaised with the University of Sheffield and The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to accurately represent robotics models and secured printing time and suitable materials to enable successful 3D printing of the winning robots. |
OutcomesThis first of its kind educational game uses the latest AR technology to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning objectives and making use of programmable features!
High quality 3D models for the School Robotics Competition suitable for use in classroom contexts where pupils can create robots that can cross challenging space environments within the app or online. By selecting different parts you can build your robot and then test it out before taking on a range of challenges. Following judging of submitted robots the winning entries from two schools were selected to be 3D printed and awarded to the pupils as prizes. |
ReflectionsWe were very thankful as a team to have full creative control of the app design. We concepted to make use of the Robotics gameplay by setting it as an autonomous robot surveying Mars - due to recent space and robotics achievements.
Ultimately the closing date to launch the app for the RAS competition left us without enough time to polish and include extra features. This was a valuable lesson in time management and concise communication with the clients expectations. It was rewarding to see the app in use at schools and in classrooms as we attended play testing and hosted competition events in UK schools. |