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QE’s robotics competitors start the Summer Term fighting fit, with six teams qualifying for the Vex World Championships in the US later this month.

After battling it out at the national championships in Telford, three senior V5 teams won places at the ‘Worlds’ in St Louis, Missouri, with a further three making the grade in the junior IQ competition.

In a busy Spring Term for robotics, a Year 12 team also took their own trip across the Atlantic, travelling to Calgary, Canada, where they were the only team from outside North America among 81 teams competing at the Mecha Mayhem event.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Qualification for the World Championships requires huge levels of preparation, skill, design flair and teamwork, so our teams deserve hearty congratulations: we wish them all the best in St Louis.”

The three qualifying senior teams all acquitted themselves well at Telford, with Team Nova taking an Innovate award and Rogue winning a Think award, while Zenith were fourth in the Skills competition and came fifth in their division.

Six VEX IQ teams from Years 8 and 9 travelled to the national championships, joining two days of competition with teams from all over the UK. Each team competed in 12 qualification matches, with the hope of gaining a spot in their division’s finals.

The competition involved frequent working in alliances with other teams. The QE competitors’ collaborative skills, resilience and problem-solving duly won them a clutch of awards.

Team Omega won the coveted overall Design Award and claimed their slot in Missouri.

The other Worlds places went to GearSquad and CircuitBreakers, whose clever solutions to the competition game devised for this year’s national championships won them both an Innovation Award.

In addition, there was a Think Award for Torque Titans – an independent team of QE pupils who had decided to compete in VEX outside of School – and an Amaze Award, with a place at the Worlds, for a mixed team comprising students from various schools, including QE.

Darsh Singh, of Year 8, said: “I found the Nationals an extremely joyful and unforgettable competition. We all made loads of friends and it was an experience like no other.”

This was a sentiment shared by Yaer 9’s Akshaj Mittal, who added: “VEX isn’t about just winning. It’s about teamwork, friendship, resilience and courage, and our team embodied just that…”

The Canada competition was attended by team HYBRID. In recent years, QE Year 12 teams, who are unable to go to the Worlds because of examination commitments in the Summer Term, have joined a series of special robotics events in North America.

At Mecha Mayhem, with HYBRID the only non-American team, its pit area rapidly became a favourite place for others to visit.

The team finished day 1 with a win in their practice match and one win and loss in their first two qualification matches. On day two, they ranked 42nd in a competitive field. Competing in the Skills competition on the final day, they came in 19th place out of 74, thus hitting their target of a top-20 finish.

They also found time to relax and explore a little. They enjoyed a thrilling game of NHL Ice Hockey, the final match for many players before the winter Olympic break, where the Calgary Flames upset the odds by beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. At Calgary Zoo, they saw native species including Canadian mountain goats, bison, musk oxen and wolves. They took a trip to the Calgary Tower, followed by a visit to an escape room where they not only beat the time limit but escaped only just short of the record time. They also enjoyed the Downtown Calgary district, with its picturesque Jack & Jean Leslie Riverwalk.

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In a two-day residential workshop at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, six Industrial Cadets from QE enjoyed some very privileged access.

The two Year 12 Engineering teams not only had the opportunity to study at the internationally renowned Dyson Centre for Industrial Design, but also to use specialist equipment that even Cambridge Engineering students are not allowed to touch at first.

The teams, who are both working with major companies to develop products to safeguard the health of construction workers, went to Cambridge for the workshop organised by the Engineering Development Trust (EDT) as part of its Industrial Cadets Gold Project scheme.

QE has a long record of success with projects developed through EDT programmes, with past teams frequently singled out for praise by industry experts.

Technology teacher Tony Green, who accompanied the sixth-formers, said: “The Industrial Cadets Gold Project Workshop introduces young people to an exciting programme that offers a unique experience bringing together university study and industry.

“For our students, having the opportunity to study at the Dyson centre and to use tools and machinery that Cambridge undergrads don’t get to use until later on in their course was a real coup.”

During the workshop, the boys were challenged to solve a real-world problem set by industry partners, giving them first-hand exposure to STEM careers, university life and business thinking.

One of the QE pupils, Abhinav Sandeep, said: “We had an extremely rewarding two days at Cambridge and we’re very grateful for the opportunity! The fact that we were able to interact with a machine that only late-year Cambridge undergraduates and PhD students could use was sublime.”

One QE team is working with Overbury plc, the UK’s leading fit-out specialist, which has challenged the boys to develop a passive wearable aid for construction workers that mitigates the onset of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs).

The other has joined with Morgan Lovell plc, a leading company in the design and building construction of commercial buildings, to work on a prototype for a wearable hearing protection device that alerts construction workers to hazardous noise exposure, thus reducing the risk of long-term hearing damage.

Both companies are represented by QE’s industry sponsor, Mr Alex Wood, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager at Morgan Lovell.

Abhinav, who is part of Team OVERBURY, praised the breadth of facilities that was made available to them as they built their device: “We used everything from sewing machines to soldering kits… We also benefitted from the variety of working spaces, such as the workshop for production and the library for data analysis.”

Team OVERBURY comprises the following QE Year 12 students: Dan Ji Chan, Abhinav Sandeep and Kavish Jayasekera.

Team MORGAN LOVELL is: Ayush Saha, Zane Shah and Haadi Siddiqui.

Sixth-formers saw up-to-the-minute manufacturing technology on a visit to one of Britain’s most famous car factories.

The first QE trip of its kind to the historic Mini Plant Oxford provided a look behind the scenes at how advanced manufacturing processes, automation, and teamwork are combined on a single production line.

The Year 13 pupils also learned about the history of the iconic Mini, from the 1960s classic car through to today’s newer version, first produced in 2001.

QE’s Head of Technology Bilaal Khan said: “It was an outstanding experience for the students, allowing them to see the theories and concepts they have been studying brought to life in a real industrial setting. The trip not only deepened their understanding, but also inspired many of them to think more broadly about future careers in engineering, technology, and design.”

The plant on the Oxford ring road was the car body manufacturing business of the Pressed Steel Company, founded in 1926. It became part of the huge Morris Motors – later British Leyland and then Rover Group – site at Cowley, which incorporated three factories. Today only the Mini plant remains.

The original Mini became an icon of the 1960s, featuring in the 1969 film caper, The Italian Job. Its role was reprised by the modern Mini in a 2003 remake of the film.

BMW bought the Rover Group in 1994. The new Mini was first unveiled as a concept car in 1997. When BMW sold the other parts of the Rover Group in 2000, it retained the rights to the Mini.

After an initial tour during which they learned about the history of the iconic car, the pupils were shown around the factory.

Among the group was Danyal Talha, of Year 13, who said: “We witnessed a clear progression in the design styles of the cars, with evident links to design movements and ideas of the time.

“The factory tour then took us through one of the most advanced flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) in the world. FMS allows for various specifications of a product to be produced on a single line, and we witnessed this, with endless variations of Minis being made: from cabriolets to hard-tops, left and right-hand drives, with customised-to-order body colours and wheel alloys.”

They delved into details of the manufacturing process such as the ‘Prüfcubing process’, used to evaluate the fit, function and development of parts before a model launch. The boys saw a Prüfcubing body – a life-size model of a car body with a tolerance of +/- 0.2mm that was manufactured from solid aluminium, taking 2,000 hours to machine and worth some 1m Euros.

The group also saw automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in use. These are portable robots which, unlike autonomous robots, rely for their navigation on infrastructure in their environment, such as lines or wires on the floor, radio waves, or lasers.

“While we had already learned about AGVs in our theory lessons, getting to see them communicate with one another and work seamlessly to optimise the production line’s efficiency was fascinating,” said Danyal.

“Overall, the trip was a fabulous insight to real-world flexible manufacturing systems, and taught us about the evolving nature of production lines becoming fully automated.”

Year 13’s Muhammad Shah has won The Big Bang UK Young Technologist of the Year title for 2025.

His winning project, Icarus, is a decentralised telecommunication system designed for low-cost and effective emergency communications in remote areas: it was inspired by his love of the outdoors and of trekking.

Muhammad was one of 11 QE pupils to reach the finals of The Big Bang Competition.

Mark Wood, Social Sustainability Lead at sponsor Siemens GB&I, said: “Muhammad stood out with his decentralised communication system, which avoids reliance on cellular or satellite networks and has great opportunities for search and rescue, leisure and other business uses.

“Muhammad demonstrated independent learning and great communication and presentation skills and is a worthy winner of the prize!”

The Big Bang Competition, run by the EngineeringUK charity,  is open to young people in the UK aged 11-18 who are in state-funded education, are home-educated or who enter as part of a community group.

The Big Bang UK Young Technologist of the Year award recognises innovation in digital and sustainable technology. It highlights the importance of technology in various sectors, including search and rescue, leisure, and business.

Muhammad describes himself as an aspiring engineer who enjoys 3D printing, CAD modelling, printed circuit board (PCB) design and other electronics.

His project was inspired by the communication difficulties people experience in remote areas, and particularly by the need for better communication when people out trekking get into difficulty. Its decentralised approach avoids reliance on cellular or satellite networks.

With Muhammad unable to attend the Big Bang Fair at Birmingham’s NEC because of an A-level examination, the prize was instead presented at the School’s Technology Design Showcase by EngineeringUK’s Director of Communications, Beth Elgood, and Siemens’ General Manager and UK Country Lead, Hannah Winstanley. The two also agreed to serve on the judging panel at the QE event.

Tech spec: how Muhammad solved the problem

Icarus uses a custom Meshtastic PCB based on ESP32-S3 N8R8, L76K GPS and LoRa RA-01SH, designed to be fully assembled by the online PCB service provider, JLCPCB.

Meshtastic is a decentralised, off-grid network that lets users send and receive messages using affordable, low-power devices. Icarus also makes use of LoRa, a long-range radio protocol, which is widely accessible in most regions without the need for additional licences or certifications (unlike HAM radio). These radios are designed to rebroadcast messages they receive, forming a network. This setup ensures that every group member, including those at the furthest distance, can receive messages.

All four QE teams competing at the VEX World Robotics Championships in Texas won divisional awards, with three securing the top divisional prize of a Design Award.

The teams excelled at both the V5RC competition for older pupils and at the VIQRC event for the younger competitors.

Head of Digital Teaching & Learning Michael Noonan said: “The week in Dallas began with our Year 10 teams Rogue and Nova delivering exceptional performances. When both were honoured with the Design Award – the highest judged divisional award – it was a moment of immense pride.

“In the VIQRC competition, too, our Year 9 teams, Omega and Constellation, shone very brightly. Omega secured the Build Award, recognising their robot’s outstanding construction and reliability, and Team Constellation added to QE’s growing trophy cabinet with another Design Award.”

Overseen by Mr Noonan and Technology Assistant Claudia Cunha, both V5RC teams advanced to the elimination rounds in their respective divisions, finishing 39th and 19th in qualification rankings, before being narrowly defeated in the round of 16. It was, said Mr Noonan “an impressive feat among over 80 teams per division.

“Their Design Awards celebrate not only engineering excellence, but also the meticulous documentation and innovation that went into their robot design.”

Head of Technology Bilaal Khan and Technology teacher Chantel Sinclair led QE’s teams in the VIQRC competition. Both achieved top-50 finishes in the teamwork rankings, with Omega also securing a top-50 placement in the Skills Challenge, out of more than 300 teams.

“But the best was yet to come,” said Mr Noonan. “Team Omega’s Build Award and Constellation’s Design Awards were fantastic achievements. As if that was not enough, both teams dazzled with their themed pit displays and costumes, winning the Costume Competition – a celebration of creativity and team spirit announced during the final rounds.”

Mr Noonan thanked the boys’ dedicated coaches, and their staff and student mentors for their support throughout the season.  He also thanked QE’s robotics sponsor, Kingston Technology, and the company’s ESG and Compliance Specialist, Antonia Pata.

Following his success in an international artificial intelligence competition, Year 11’s Paarth Aggarwal has now spoken at a globally acclaimed education technology exhibition and show.

Technology giant Intel asked Paarth to speak at the 2025 BETT UK after he took the national title in his age category in last year’s Intel AI Global Impact Festival. He won after impressing judges with his multi-lingual Navigate Ninja app, which uses storytelling and animated video to offer personalised learning to children with autism.

Paarth spoke in a session in the arena at the Docklands ExCel convention centre entitled Getting real about AI. “Intel requested me to talk about my project, passion, challenges encountered, value delivered, and the next steps I am taking in scaling up this solution on to the global stage,” he said.

After preparing heavily for his talk, he began by introducing himself as a QE student and then said: “I am extremely passionate about technology as I strongly believe that it has the potential to solve almost any problem that humanity ever faces.”

Reflecting afterwards, he said it had been “an overwhelming and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Speaking in front of such a large audience was an incredible opportunity to share my passion for leveraging the new-age technology, such as AI, GenAI [Generative AI], NLP [Natural Language Processing], cloud computing etc. to transform education. I talked about how my GenAI-powered app could empower millions of people around the world through personalised learning.”

It was, he added, a “golden opportunity to exchange thoughts, ideas and suggestions with my fellow Intel presenters, technocrats, industry leaders, and renowned organisations”.

Paarth explained that people with autism and with similar disabilities often struggle with the processing of information, making correct inferences, developing reading skills, and understanding information. He realised that existing methods of learning offer insufficiently peronalised learning. “Therefore, I developed an app which allows autistic individuals to have 24/7 access to personalised learning, multilingual learning in the language of choice, wider subject choices, and animations for enhanced comprehension and retention.”

With a basic form of his app now available on the Google play store, Paarth is working on connecting with investors and technology partners. “My next step is to refine the app and release it to a wider audience to allow millions of people from all over the world to have access to personalised and improved learning for free.”