The robot is powered by batteries and programmed via computer to move up and down a school corridor. If it picks up any leakages the robot sends a remote wireless message to an alarm bell in the school technician’s room, so they can investigate.
“I’d like to take it further and have an even more sensitive sensor attached, as well as be able to programme the robot to freeze when it detects the leak,” says Megan.
“That means when they come to investigate the robot will be at the source of the leak.”
Megan has worked on many science projects but she says this is the biggest one. However, she isn’t stopping any time soon and plans to study further in science, becoming a vet.
“I feel that science could lead into a lot of opportunities that some would never imagine possible. Science just intrigues me. It’s a subject that many schools should push because of all the opportunities you can gain in a lifetime through learning and putting into practice.
“If my school did not offer the variety of science classes, I would have been limited in my career ambitions. A lot of people think science is boring and that it’s just filled with formulas and writing out long explanations for things, but really it’s totally different.
“The explanations let you see how it works in everyday life and the understanding of how things actually work.”
The MIT Manukau Science and Technology Fair’s open each year to intermediate schools and colleges in Counties Manukau.
• The prizegiving will be on Tuesday, August 28, at TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre.
