MyMachine Slovakia has successfully completed the second phase of the MyMachine methodology this year. University students designed a concept for the children’s inventions. This is the right time to ask for final feedback from the ‘clients’: university students are curious about what the children will say, and honestly – a little nervous, yet, they do not want to disappoint a demanding client).

With the final feedback from the child inventors, the university students will finalise the technical drawings that then can go to the hands of our skilful vocational high school students.

Here are three examples of such Work-In-Progress events in Zvolen, Zilina, and Bratislava:

1. This Work-In-Progress Event at the Technical University in Zvolen, saw students from Drevárska Fakulta teaming up with students of the primary school Základná škola s materskou školou Alexandra Vagača, Štúrova 12, Detva and the Fakulta Techniky TUZVO. The children could also visit the university, and find out what it looks like, have a great virtual reality experience, and participate in a robot competition.
   
2. Why it’s not good to come to the recording studio wearing a green or blue shirt; how does a 3D printer or 3D scanner work; what it looks like when sound is transmitted? This and much more is what children from the Hviezdoslav Trstená Primary School learned when visiting the University FEIT – Fakulta Elektrotechniky a Informačných Technológií, UNIZA in Žilina.
   The child inventors could also see the first graphics and animations for the computer game prepared for them by programming students Mário, Lucka, Miška and Marek from FEIT and graphic design students Marek, David, Lucka, Marek and Jakub from Stredná priemyselná škola informačných technológií Ignáca Gessaya in Tvrdošin. The children could play a short sample, and they did not hide their enthusiasm! They only had a few final requests, including the idea of incorporating a banana into the game.
   
3. A Flying Car, an Octopus Shaped Electric Fanny Pack with Mega Box for pencils, a Clothes Arranger and a Find Lost Things Machine. The concepts of these inventions were presented by university teams from ZŠ Banka and ZŠI Drotárska to children from primary schools Zs Mateja Bela Bratislava, Pedagogická Fakulta Trnavskej Univerzity v Trnave Šamorín, Základná škola Andreja Bagara Trenčianske Teplice and Kon.
   In addition to this, the child inventors could also do a tour of the Faculty of Architecture and Design, their workshop, the steering wheel designed by artificial intelligence, and learn about the fact that university students at the faculty have practical exercises as well. “We would also like such tasks”, said the children with a smile.