Walking the robo-dog at King James
COMPUTER Science students at King James I Academy have recently been introduced to Bernard the
robotic dog, resident computerised canine at the University of Sunderland.
Costing £100,000, Bernard, which is one of the most advanced quadrupedal robots in
development, was brought to the Academy by Mark Bennison, Programme Leader and Senior
Lecturer for Sunderland’s BSc (Hons) Computer Science course. Bernard joined the Faculty of
Technology and Engineering at the university in 2021 to showcase what robotic technology can do
and he is one of only a handful of his kind in the UK.
At King James, Bernard first joined a Year 12 Computer Science lesson to educate students about
the way that robotics can be used in an applied way to solve tasks. A number of these students were
interested in studying engineering at university and pursuing a career in robotics so this was a
valuable opportunity to hear from the course leader. At the end of the school day, Bernard was then
available for younger students to meet and Mark was happy to answer their questions and
demonstrate Bernard’s capabilities, including his ability to easily ascend and descend stairs and his
programmable dance moves.
