TOMORROW'S World is here today St. Ambrose College students discovered when they met MIA, a Minature Intelligent Android, on a robotics roadshow.

The RAF, Royal Navy and BAe Systems demonstration team tour the country inspiring young men and women to take up the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and there is nothing more appealing than MIA, which has been programmed to mimic human behaviour.

Presenter Matt Oliver said: “MIA is really just a toy but the principles underpinning her computer programming are now being used in a huge range of manufacturing, military and leisure applications, for example keeping an RAF fighter or a Royal Navy vessel balanced in the air or water.”

The students got the chance to use MIA's voice activation controls as the robot demonstrated some Tai Chi moves with Matt adding: “Fundamentally all control systems could be voice activated so the change is coming. It is said the pace of technological change doubles every 18 months and we are very much at the heart of a revolution.”

The event also saw sections devoted to computer coding and drone technology and had, St. Ambrose physics teacher, Dr Alex Gardener, enthusing about the educational benefits.

“All our boys do computer programming but in a classroom they might not immediately see the practical benefits of developing these mathematical and analytical skills, but when they see MIA and are told the programming they are learning is used in this robot they certainly begin to take notice.

“Britain wants to be involved in high end engineering and design; it is unlikely we will doing too much bulk manufacturing in the future and learning these skills for jobs, which might not even have been invented yet, is essential for their futures.”

MIA is pictured with Niall Davies and Elvis Rodrigues both 18 year-old A Level students studying computer science, physics and mathematics.

Elvis said: “I'd love to work in robotics as would many of my generation, “ while Niall added: “I've even read recently they are being used in key hole surgery; so the possibilities are endless.”