It was super to see pupils from Year 5 through to Year 13 in the audience. Dr Thrish Nanayakkara talked to our pupils about the awesome potential his work has to transform our lives and wider society. In a wide-ranging lecture, punctuated by plenty of thoughtful questions, Dr Nanayakkara explained why robots cannot yet be trusted to hold a hamster or search for landmines, as well as his hypothesis on the role robots will play in our lives by 2040.

The curiosity he inspired in his audience was clear by the number of pupils who came to speak to him afterwards, both to thank him for his time and ask where they could find out more. As always, we cannot emphasise enough what an excellent opportunity these talks provide to broaden knowledge and understanding.