At the research department Marine Perception in Oldenburg, the participating girls gained an insight into how artificial intelligence can contribute to environmental and climate protection. They learned how AI solutions are used to better understand environmental and sustainability issues – for example, by analysing sensor data from marine and environmental research. As well as exciting examples from everyday research, the participants also learned the basics of programming with sensor technology.
In Osnabrück, the girls gained a comprehensive insight into the wide-ranging applications of AI and robotics. They spent the morning in the research department Smart Enterprise Engineering, learning about the day-to-day work of the researchers. In short mini-interviews, they learned about the scientists’ career paths and explore what makes working in research so special. Then they did some programming on the project website YouCodeGirls.de. The pupils spent the afternoon in the research department Cooperative and Autonomous Systems. There, they gained insights into the world of robotics and learned how intelligent and autonomous systems are developed and used in everyday life. They got to know the mobile robots MobiPick, TIAGo and ChargePal, and were allowed to assign tasks to the latter via a programming interface and try out automatic route planning.
The research department Smart Data & Knowledge Services in Kaiserslautern focused on the theme ‘Making quality of life visible – my cityscape of the future’. Following an introduction to the work of the DFKI, the girls tried out a real robotic arm and learned in a playful way how artificial intelligence learns and is used. In a creative workshop, they developed their own ideas for liveable, sustainable cities and work together to consider how quality of life can be measured, analysed or visualised – for example, using data analysis or map visualisations and with the help of AI.
The Robotics Innovation Center in Bremen once again ran an event for girls and boys. The Zukunftstag (Future Day) kicked off with a guided tour of the laboratories and test facilities. The children then took part in a workshop where they learned how to programme using Arduino. They created their own small applications and experienced first-hand how code is turned into working technology. The event provided a hands-on introduction to the basics of robotics and sparks an interest in technical careers.
The DFKI’s events have been very well received. The venues were full, the workshops were lively and attendance is high. With plenty of curiosity, questions and enthusiasm, participants were seizing the opportunity to experience research first-hand, take their first steps into the world of artificial intelligence and technology, and learn about the day-to-day work of researchers.
