Robohub.org
 

EPFL’s Festival Robotique draws a record 17,000 visitors


by
24 April 2013



share this:

FestivalRobotique_Alain_Herzog_EPFL

The 6th Annual Festival Robotique in Lausanne, Switzerland drew a record number of visitors this past Saturday, making it one of the largest public science events in the country. This year’s theme — Outer Space — was a clear winner with the many young people and families attending the event. Highlights of this year’s event included presentations by Switzerland’s first astronaut, Claude Nicollier, about his experience using robots on space missions.

FestivalRobotique_Alain_Herzog_EPFL3

Visitors also enjoyed the many hands-on workshops (including a build-your-own Mars Curiosity rover), competitions and exhibits. Workshops were organized into themes (Games, Programming and Making) and sorted by age group to make it easy for parents find appropriate activities for their children, even for the very young.

FestivalRobotique_Alain_Herzog_EPFL6

The Festival Robotique was launched by EPFL in 2008 to as a way to get young people excited about science, technology and innovation by connecting them directly with researchers, teachers and industrial robotics experts.  The effort is working: the free-admission, non-profit event has seen steady increases in visitor attendance since its inauguration.

visitor_attendance_chart

[Photos courtesy of EPFL: Alain Herzog]


tags: , ,


Robohub Editors

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

Developing active and flexible microrobots

  13 May 2026
This class of robots opens up possibilities for biomedical applications.

How to teach the same skill to different robots

  11 May 2026
A new framework to teach a skill to robots with different mechanical designs, allowing them to carry out the same task without rewriting code for each.

Robot Talk Episode 155 – Making aerial robots smarter, with Melissa Greeff

  08 May 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Melissa Greeff from Queen's University about autonomous navigation and learning for drones.

New understanding of insect flight points way to stable flapping-wing robots

  07 May 2026
The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify.

Robotically assembled building blocks could make construction more efficient and sustainable

  05 May 2026
Research suggests constructing a simple building from interlocking subunits should be mechanically feasible and have a much smaller carbon footprint.

Robot Talk Episode 154 – Visual navigation in insects and robots, with Andrew Philippides

  01 May 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Andrew Philippides from the University of Sussex about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation.

Ultralightweight sonar plus AI lets tiny drones navigate like bats

  29 Apr 2026
Researchers develop ultrasound-based perception system inspired by bat echolocation.

Gradient-based planning for world models at longer horizons

  28 Apr 2026
What were the problems that motivated this project and what was the approach to address them?



AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.02 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence