University to exhibit at The Gadget Show Live

It is the second year that the University has exhibited at the popular show, which is held at the Birmingham NEC from April 13 to 17 2011.

This year’s exhibits include a Gadget Show themed workshop to illustrate how students at the University learn the principles of games programming. Visitors to the stand will have the opportunity to create basic game characters and there will be a prize each day for the best one.

Two interactive robot exhibits developed by lecturers to give students on the BSc (Hons) Computer Systems Engineering degree a hands-on example of the theory they learn will also be on show, including one which uses voice recognition.

Visitors to the stand will be able to wear active stereo shutter glasses and test their skills at forklift truck driving in 3D. A team of academic staff and students on Architecture and Design courses have developed demonstrations of stereoscopic 3D virtual reality environments, which allow you to move around and experience buildings before they are constructed.

Student Ed Wilson will be returning to the show will his Aerostat exhibit, which is a console controlled airship. People can come along to the stand and fly the airship, which is part of Ed’s final year dissertation project.

Ed says: “The development of the new airship has given me the opportunity to put into practice what is taught on my degree. It is one thing learning the theory and completing assessments but an entirely new challenge developing exhibition pieces.”

Also on display will be the Consume Within app, a smartphone application that helps households reduce the amount of food they waste. The Apple iPhone application is able to track the expiration dates of shop bought and home made items and has been developed at the award-winning Caparo Innovation Centre (CIC), a partnership between the University and Caparo.

Bob Newman, Professor of Computer Science, said: “Following the success of The Gadget Show last year, staff and students at the School of Technology have been working hard to develop new exhibits for this year’s exhibition.

“The exhibits are hands-on and interactive and visitors will be able to join in with a number of fun activities. It is also a great opportunity to find out more about the range of relevant degrees we have on offer and chat to the lecturers about what our courses involve.

“The University is hoping to demonstrate the diversity of academic skill and knowledge at the School of Technology and celebrate the interesting exhibits our staff and students have created.” To find out more, visit the University’s stand at the Gadget Show Live in Hall 10, Stand R31. To find out more about studying at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Technology, visit www.wlv.ac.uk/stech