Hands-on session at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair gives young creators early lessons in prosthetics and designing moving robotic body parts using simple materials and boundless imagination
Sharjah, November 15, 2025
It was a morning full of amazement and curiosity for scores of children at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) as they learned to turn everyday materials into animated machines.
The “Autonomous Hands” workshop guided participants through building robotic hands using simple daily materials like cardboard, double-sided tape, straws, strings and stickers, transforming static paper cutouts into motion-filled, expressive “characters.”
“The idea is to show children that robotics isn’t just about wires and codes,” explained the workshop facilitators. “With simple tools and creativity, they can animate something of their own making. These little paper hands may look simple but they illustrate the same basic principles used in prosthetics and robotic design.”
Mansoor, a 9-year-old Grade 3 student, said, “It was amazing to see my hand move when I pulled the strings. It felt like I made my own robot!
For 13-year-old Abdul Hadi, it was a day of ‘picking up the basics of robotics’. “I want to make a bigger one now, maybe one that can pick up small things – like a real robot arm.”
While for someone as young as the five-year-old Rahma, it was pure delight. “My robot hand waves! I want to make it say hello next time.”
The interactive workshop introduced children to the art of blending science and creativity, allowing them to make “living” hands that carried shields, made sounds, and reflected each child’s imagination.
The session is part of 750 workshops lined up as part of this year’s SIBF being organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) until November 16 under the theme ‘Between you and a Book’.
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