This is Engineering: robot maker

This resource is an interview with Halvard - a robot maker.

"Halvard grew up in Norway surrounded by farms and playing with Lego. As a Robotics Engineer, he combines his love for nature and putting things together to create robots that will revolutionise farming.

As a child, Halvard loved the outdoors as well as making things, whether that was a den in the garden or building something with Lego. Halvard decided to study mechanical engineering so he could invent and create his own robots. He finds it rewarding to see the robot use tools he designed working in the field. He designs sensors and gadgets and gets to build them in the workshop before they go for testing. Halvard works for Saga Robotics creating agricultural robots, that do everything from ploughing and weeding, to picking strawberries and testing the soil.

For Halvard, feeding the planet is important. With the world population growing, more food and crops will be needed. The better we are at using the land, keeping plants and fields healthy and sustainable, the more people we can feed. By using robots that can measure the soil and water precisely, crops can be farmed in the most effective and sustainable way. Halvard’s robots are a bit like the Lego he used to play with – their parts can be swapped for different tasks so they are more efficient than one big tractor.

As a robotics engineer, the days are varied for Halvard. He may be designing on a computer, testing robots in the field or technology in the lab, or going to schools to talk to children about robots! He gets to work with a variety of people, from farmers to tech geniuses. He also gets to travel around the world to show what his robots can do.

Halvard’s engineering is creative and practical, making a difference in how we produce food. He likes to solve problems and loves that mechanical engineering can be anything from making toys to aeroplanes – to robots that can help feed the world."

This resource forms part of the This is Engineering campaign.