On Saturday 9th June, I demonstrated my Voice O’tronik bot at the All London Raspberry Jam hosted by The Microsoft Reactor in London. It was organised by Brian Byrne and Nic Hughes.
The event was set out across two large rooms, a reception/chillout area & a workshop area.
The Chillout area was modern, roomy & comfortable. It had a cool retro arcade game in one corner & there were loads of comfortable chairs and bean bags scattered about – where the volunteers & the attendees could refuel on the ample food and drink that was provided by Microsoft. There was a Show & Tell zone where fellow coders, hackers & makers showcased some of their awesome projects. Including: The individual & artistically made Kira Kira Bears & other wearables by Rachel Konichiwakitty (@konichiwakitty); A super-sized Micro:bit made out of acrylic by Thomas Stratford(@MrTomsWorld) – a fantastic idea that could help people experiencing difficulties with their fine motor skills) and projects inspired by the Makey Makey kits – presented by Thomas & Oscar (members of the South London Raspberry Jam).
I was allocated a table in the Show & Tell zone. I showcased my Voice O Tronik Bot & members of the public had a chance to control it through the voice command functions.
Loads of people had a go at controlling the Voice O Tronik Bot; they asked questions like, what does it do? how long did it take to build? what language is it programmed with? etc. I was happy to answer their questions and it was great to see them enjoying the robot. I loved seeing the reactions on peoples’ faces when they first heard it verbally respond to their instruction and also when it started to move its arms, open its mouth or roll its eyes.
Among the many new people I met, was a cool lady called Simona Cotin. She came around and had a go at using the Voice O’Tronik. She was really impressed with it. We had a nice chat about how I made the robot and stuff like that. She then came back to me and presented me with one of Rachel (aka KonichiwaKitty) KIRAKIRA light up Bears! That was so cool! I was very grateful because I had got one of these bears a few weeks ago and wanted to start a little collection as each one of them is unique. By the way, if you are interested in buying a KIRAKIRA light up bear, check them out here at KonichiwaKitty Esty shop. They are awesome!.
The workshop zone was well organised & the tables/benches were equipped with all of the materials, components & hardware needed. There was lots of room, this was handy for the robot workshop because there was loads of floor space for the robots to zoom around.
There were also Micro:bit, scratch, pi top, Sonic Pi and wearables workshops. Many of them being run by members of the 12 young coders forum. Well done Femi, Nishka, Avni, Kian, and Thomas!
Not forgetting Aaron who lead a Microbit Fitbit workshop. Well done Aaron!
Niska & Femi, with help from some of the 12 other young coders launched their crowdfunding campaign .The objective is to create their own Young Coders Meet Up schedule.
The Microsoft team were so friendly & I enjoyed the little chats that I had with some of them. It was great to see & meet more women in tech. They were really encouraging and made me feel even more positive about the stuff I’ve been doing over the last few years.
The thing that surprised me the most was how my robot managed to survive, seeing that lots of people touched it. I really had underestimated how strong it was!
Overall, I had a great time at the All London Jam and was happy to be around such a nice tech community!
Hi, my name is Avye and I love making, coding, designing, exploring new technology and swimming! This site is about the things I get to experience, discover and enjoy. Welcome to my world!