Ruarcc, a student in year 10 at St. Malachy’s College in north Belfast, has developed a Lego robot capable of solving a Rubik’s cube using 5,000 lines of Python coding. The school’s creative digital technology hub (CDTH) enabled Ruarcc, who began working on puzzle-solving robots in his second year aged 12, to prototype the creation. Initially, the school’s teacher Clare McGrath “didn’t believe” Ruarcc’s robot would work, stating that it is “very impressive”. However, Ruarcc stated the most frustrating aspect of the project was perfecting the robot.
Ruarcc has already set his sights on a future career in the IT industry, such as a software engineer. The CDTH has provided learning opportunities to schools across the north Belfast district. St. Malachy’s College launched a new Key Stage Three curriculum, including programming Lego robots using block-based coding, following the completion of the new CDTH hub.
The idea of the centre came from school principal Paul McBride, who wanted to renovate an old lecture theatre. The Belfast Charitable Society and James Kane Foundation backed the project. McBride hopes to encourage staff and pupils from across other north Belfast schools, with the facility to be used by over 6,000 students and 100 staff by the end of its third year.
McBride believes in promoting digital skills to ensure “innovators of the future”. The centre facilitates creativity and provides students with digital resources to prepare for a future in which digital skills are essential. The school’s efforts are a testament to the increasing attention paid to digital innovation fostering within institutions
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