How I became a robotics engineer

As a child, I loved the outdoors as well as making things, whether that was a den in the garden or building something with Lego. I decided to study Mechanical Engineering so I could invent and create my own robots. I find it rewarding to see the robot use tools I designed working in the field. I design sensors and gadgets and get to build them in the workshop before they go for testing. I work for Saga Robotics creating agricultural robots, that do everything from ploughing and weeding, to picking strawberries and testing the soil.

Day to day

As a Robotics Engineer, the days are varied for me. I 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! I get to work with a variety of people, from farmers to tech geniuses. I also get to travel around the world to show what our robots can do.

Why agricultural robots?

For me, 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. Our robots are a bit like the Lego I used to play with – their parts can be swapped for different tasks so they are more efficient than one big tractor.

Our engineering is creative and practical, making a difference in how we produce food and helping with labour shortages in agriculture. I like to solve problems and love that mechanical engineering can be anything from making toys to aeroplanes – to robots that can help feed the world.