Above: students and volunteers at a previous RoboCup Junior event.

The RoboCup Junior program plays a key role in helping young students spark a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) while applying their knowledge through fun, hands-on robotics and AI challenges.  

This initiative is especially important in tackling the gender imbalance across digital industries, including cybersecurity, where women make up only 17% of the cyber security workforce. By fostering an inclusive and inspiring environment, RoboCup Junior encourages participation from all students, helping pave the way for a more diverse and equitable future in STEM careers. 

The upcoming RoboCup Junior Victoria event on 14 September 2024, sponsored through the Victorian Government’s Digital Innovation Futures (DIF) initiative, will bring together students from across Victoria to showcase their creativity, celebrate innovation, and explore their potential to excel in STEM. These events will not only equip students with essential technical skills but also highlight the critical importance of diversity and representation in fields such as cybersecurity, engineering, and more. 

Evan Bailey, the President of RoboCup Junior Australia, emphasises that the programme goes beyond teaching technical skills, by nurturing teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving. We recently spoke with Evan and Liam Whitehouse (Deputy State Chair for RoboCup Junior Victoria) who shared their thoughts on how the program is inspiring young minds, shaping their careers, and staying current with technological advancements. 

Above: Evan Bailey and Liam Whitehouse at an event.

What led RoboCup to target primary and secondary school children for introducing STEM skills? 

RoboCup originally launched in 1997 at the tertiary education level with the ambitious goal of creating a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots capable of defeating the human World Cup champions by 2050. In 1999, the organiser realised that early engagement of primary and secondary school students to STEM was essential [to reach this goal], and hence RoboCup Junior was born and first played in Melbourne, in 2000. 

How do you see RoboCup Junior influencing students' interest in pursuing STEM careers? 

RoboCup Junior sparks interest in STEM careers through providing a platform for students to tangibly use their science, technology, mathematics and engineering skills to solve fun and exciting challenges. Further to this, it encourages teamwork and problem solving, which are highly valuable in STEM careers. It can be difficult in school for students to see the usefulness of what they are learning. RoboCup allows students to apply these skills  to a scaled down version of a real-world scenario - and as their skills grow, their solutions, grow with them.  

Above: A glimpse of students and volunteers at a prior RoboCup Junior event.

Can you share any success stories of past participants who have gone on to further their education or careers in STEM? 

RoboCup Junior has alumni all throughout Australia who have gone on to pursue tertiary studies and have successful careers in STEM. Our alumni have gone on to study Science, Engineering, Mechtronics and Information Systems, with some even completing PhDs in their fields. Following their studies, we have alumni who work across a range of industries, including Information Technology, Software Development, Defence Research and even directly for Robot Manufacturers.  

To share a story: Emma Bebe, one of our first Alumni (and now committee member) from the early 2000s went on to study Engineering at Swinburne University. Emma now works for global robotics giant, ABB, leading their Robotics Service Team in Melbourne.   

Most excitedly, many of our alumni loved their RoboCup Junior experience so much that they continue to be part of the organisation, joining our volunteer committee and running events for the next generation of RoboCuppers.   

How does RoboCup Junior keep up with new advancements in technology in its challenges each year? 

The great thing about RoboCup is that the students who participate bring the advancements of technology to us - and we get to watch it grow and mature over time. There is always something new each year, and it takes great planning and careful consideration to keep our challenges both relevant to the latest technology, yet still accessible to beginners each year. To this effect, each of our challenges have different divisions, so that students are playing against others who have similar levels of experience. In some of our divisions, we have restrictions on the technology that may be used - but in every challenge, there is always an Open division where students can use the latest and greatest technology - and each year they surprise us with something new and innovative.  

What do you hope students gain from participating in RoboCup beyond just technical skills? 

Our challenges are designed to encourage students to grow their ability to think outside the square and solve problems in innovative ways. Using robots which interact with the uncertainties of the real-world fosters resilience as they encounter and overcome the unexpected. Most importantly, we hope they come away from participating in RoboCup with our ethos at heart - that the most important aspect of any challenge is not how well you do, but how much you learn, and how much you share your learning with others.

Find out more on how to attend the RoboCup Junior - Victorian State Event.