A hands-on learning project at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair teaches children how to make a robot that can act and think like a human
Sharjah, November 6, 2025
Young children turned robotic engineers as they crafted their own pet robots at a workshop titled “Build Your Own Robot” on the opening day of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The simple project using DIY kits was envisioned and supervised by Dubai-based Junkbot Robotics; since junkbots are easy-to-build robots that one can make using a simple circuit and some recyclable materials, it was not merely a training in engineering but a lesson in sustainability too. Participating children were provided cardboard material, crayons, colour pencils, scissors, glue and coloured ice-lolly sticks to decorate their pet robot. The cardboard was shaped into a box and each child drew a face and coloured the boxy pet. They were then given a microbit each to stick on the box and function as the brain of the robot in hand.
“Once the microbit is attached, the robot can be programmed through a website to make sounds, songs and different designs. When you press different buttons on the microbit, it will perform specific actions such as writing the name of its creator or the number assigned to each robot. This is the brain of the robot and it teaches children how it controls the body,” explained the team leader from Junkbot Robotics Israa Ben Muaoner. The children were given their robotic creations to take home.
Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 is a 12-day event, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’. Visitors will get the opportunity to experience more than 300 cultural events led by 158 Arab and international guests, 750+ workshops in Arabic and English covering writing, editing, publishing, and creativity and 85 stage performances from 12 countries.
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Attached images: 1-6: General images from a workshop titled “Build Yo