NSW student takes out Grand Prize at national Science awards

Former Northern Beaches Secondary College student Kai Turner has claimed the Grand Prize for Innovation (Senior Invention and Engineering) at the illustrious i3 ASTA national science awards held recently. The ASTA i3 Awards celebrate the inquiry, innovation, and ingenuity of Australian school students, recognising the brightest young minds in science and technology.

Kai claimed the top prize with his Year 12 Design and Technology major work – an AI and robotics-enabled drone designed to inspect and maintain high-voltage transmission lines.

“I designed a high-voltage powerline inspection drone that flies up powerlines and connects to them in order to capture corrosion and weathering data, which tells us a lot about the safety of the powerline and whether certain components need to be replaced,” Kai explained.

The UNSW Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering and Computer Science student said he decided to create his Year 12 major work after learning about the country’s most high-risk industries.

“The electrical industry is one of the most dangerous as there are so many risks involved in such a hazardous environment – so it’s the perfect application for robotics.

“My robot aims to reduce the amount of people who have to go out and inspect powerlines, which reduces unnecessary risk. A lot of money is also spent on replacing powerlines or components of powerlines that don’t actually need to be replaced, and this will hopefully help reduce that issue,” Kai added.

Head teacher of TAS at Northern Beaches Secondary College, Roger Forsyth, says Kai has been a keen STEM student since Year 7, and that the school’s STEM programs which integrate the Science, Technology, and Mathematics curriculum provide an environment for students like Kai to grow and flourish.

“The STEM programs at Manly Campus seek to identify and differentiate learning opportunities for students like Kai, to ensure they’re working to their full potential (which is often beyond their peers),” Roger said.

“Adaptation of advanced tools such as CAD, Finite Element Analysis and 3D-printing, and laser cutting beginning in the earlier years of learning (7–10), helps to empower students to stretch themselves within their HSC design projects.”

Although Kai has competed in robotics competitions since 2017, via the First Robotics Network, the ASTA i3 Awards was his first solo stint.

“I’ve always competed as part of a team and had never entered anything like this before. It’s a high standard of competition, so I was surprised to win. But there’s further scope for improvement – I’m now working on a second revision of the robot with the aim to submit it to the International Science and Engineering Fair,” Kai said.

Since first speaking to Kai, he has gone on to win First Place globally at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, taking home the prize in the category of Robotics and Intelligent machines. He was also awarded the SAE International best project award given to 3 of the 1600 projects.

“The groundwork I did at school really paved the foundation for me to pursue robotics and engineering and I’m grateful I’ve had those opportunities.”

The judging panel for the ASTA i3 Awards included representatives from the Australian Academy of Science, AARNet, The Australian Museum and the CSIRO, with projects evaluated on their scientific merit, technical skill, innovation, and potential impact.

ISEF is an annual science fair held in the USA that brings together more than 1500 students from roughly 70 countries and territories across the globe.