Robots at School and STEM Events: Planning Guide

A robot visit works best at a school or STEM event when it shows pupils how a robot senses, decides and moves, rather than just putting on a show. In practice that means choosing a robot that suits the age group and the room, keeping sessions short enough for the battery, setting clear rules on distance and touching, and briefing an operator who can explain what is happening. This guide walks through each of those decisions.

What a robot adds to a STEM event

The robot itself is the lesson. Children want to know how it sees them, whether someone is controlling it and what happens when it falls over. A good operator answers those questions honestly – including when the robot is being driven by remote control (see teleoperated or autonomous robots).

Formats that fit a school day:

Assembly demo – a short walk-on, a few movements and a Q&A for a whole year group.
Classroom rotation – groups of 20–30 pupils take turns at a robot station.
Programming workshop – older pupils build a short behaviour on a small humanoid and run it.
Science fair or open-day stand – the robot as the draw, with teachers or students explaining the project behind it.

Timing can follow existing outreach calendars. European Robotics Week, created by euRobotics in 2011, takes place every November, and schools, museums, libraries and companies can register local activities. For schools with a robotics club, RoboCupJunior runs education-focused competitions for students up to age 19, with Soccer, Rescue and OnStage leagues – a visiting robot can be a good kick-off for a new team.

Choosing a robot for the age group

Size, weight and speed matter more in a room full of children than in a trade-show hall. Typical options:

NAO – a small humanoid, 574 mm tall, that can stand on a table at eye level for a seated class. Its Wi-Fi link is how the Choregraphe software talks to the robot, which makes it a natural fit for programming workshops. Battery life is 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on use, and recharging takes roughly 1.5–2 hours. See NAO.
Pepper – a wheeled humanoid about 1.21 m tall. It notices people who come within about 1.5 m, and its speech recognition works best when people speak loudly and clearly without pausing – worth practising with younger pupils. See Pepper.
Unitree G1 – a walking humanoid 1.32 m tall and about 35 kg, with roughly 2 hours of battery. Very effective in an assembly hall; Unitree itself asks users to keep a sufficient safe distance between the robot and people. See Unitree G1.
Unitree Go2 – a robot dog of about 15 kg and 70 cm long, with 1–2 hours of battery on the standard pack. Younger children love it, but Unitree lists top speeds of 2.5–3.7 m/s depending on version, so it still needs a controlled area. See Unitree Go2.

Safety with young audiences

Children move quickly, crouch to look underneath things and reach out to touch. Plan for that rather than hoping for the best:

Decide the touch rule in advance and put it on a sign. humanoid4rent's safety guidance recommends this for any public event, together with barriers, floor marking or a dedicated person keeping a clear zone.
Size the zone for a fall. The same guidance says to assume the robot could fall in the worst direction and that nobody should be standing there.
Pupils should not drive a large robot. A distributor's G1 manual warns that robots are dangerous in the hands of untrained users and should not be operated by people unfamiliar with them. Let pupils program a small robot, or give instructions that the operator carries out.
Check the route. The same manual says the G1's current walking mode does not climb stairs, so a hall on an upper floor needs a lift or a different plan.
Assign a teacher to every group. The operator watches the robot; a teacher watches the children.
Share the supplier's risk assessment with the school well before the visit, so it can be checked against the school's own procedures.

Planning sessions around the battery

A school day is long and robot batteries are not. With 1–2 hours of real running time on many robots, plan a rhythm of short sessions – 15 to 25 minutes – with breaks for cooling, charging or a battery swap. Ask whether the supplier brings spare batteries: the G1 uses a quick-release battery, while NAO's battery charges only when the robot is switched off and plugged in, so a NAO needed all day needs gaps in the timetable or a second unit. As a rule of thumb, humanoid4rent's pricing guide treats about four active programme hours in an eight-hour day as realistic. More in battery life at events.

Photos, data and consent

Many robots carry cameras and microphones – the G1, for example, has a depth camera, a 3D LiDAR and a four-microphone array. Ask the supplier what, if anything, is recorded or sent off the robot, and follow the school's own rules on photographing pupils. If a company is sponsoring the visit, agree in writing how images from the day may be used before anyone takes a picture. See cameras, microphones and visitor privacy.

Checklist for a school or STEM visit

Age group, number of pupils per session and session length
Room type (hall, classroom, gym), floor finish, stairs or lift on the route
Robot chosen for the age group and room size
Clear zone, barriers or tape, and a sign showing the touch rule
A teacher assigned to each group; the operator's experience with children
Educational content: what will be explained, and any follow-up material for teachers
Network: whether the robot needs the school's Wi-Fi (ask early – school networks can have strict access rules)
A power socket and a quiet corner for charging
Photo and recording rules agreed with the school
A plan for what happens if the robot cannot run

Once you have the basics, send a request with the age group, dates and room details, so suppliers quote against the same scope.

FAQ

Is a humanoid robot safe around young children?

It can be, with a clear zone, a visible touch rule, a trained operator and a teacher supervising each group. A small or wheeled robot is easier to manage than a 35 kg walking humanoid.

Which robot is best for a classroom workshop?

A small programmable humanoid such as NAO suits workshops because it fits on a table and is programmed over Wi-Fi with Choregraphe. Larger humanoids work better as a demonstration for a whole hall.

Can pupils program the robot themselves?

On robots and formats designed for it, yes – usually older pupils building short behaviours that the operator checks before they run. Ask the supplier whether programming is part of the package.

How long can a robot run during a school day?

Many robots give 1–2 hours of running time per charge, so plan short sessions with breaks and ask whether spare batteries or a second robot are included.

Sources

How this guide was made: prepared with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed above on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.