Screen meets machine



Did you know Muslims formed relationships with Indigenous communities long before British colonisation?

Historical records show Makassan fishermen sailed from Sulawesi (now part of Indonesia) to the Northern Australian coastline in the 1750s. Other archaeological studies suggest 1664—or even earlier.

Back then, the Makassans sailed on boats called perahus, using the winds of the north-west summer monsoons to guide them. They would return to Sulawesi on the back of the south-east winds about three months later.

Join us in honouring the enduring Indigenous—Muslim connection by showing a robot how to travel along a sailing map in this robotics class for kids.

In this one-hour curriculum-aligned workshop hosted by Robofun, children will help the Edison robot follow a sailing map to reach its destination through a combination of coding and engineering.

Learning Outcomes:
  • How to give detailed instructions to a robot in a sequence in order to solve a problem
  • How to use the line tracking sensor, and
  • How to use conditional statements
What's Included:
  • A one hour robotics class with a qualified educator
  • A robot to use for the duration of the workshop
  • Admission to the Islamic Museum of Australia

About the Facilitator



Robofun was born out of founder Lina Qasem's love for robotics and coding. Having participated in and won multiple robotics competitions she wondered why there aren’t more girls like her in this field. Realising the importance of exposing kids early to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, maths) education she founded Robofun – a robotics and coding for kids academy – to do just that.

Photo from Careers with STEM.

Check out more of our upcoming events here.

This event is supported by:



A National Science Week event, presented with the support of the Inspiring Victoria program.

Note: Parents/guardians do not need to purchase a ticket if they are accompanying a participant to the workshop. However, parents/guardians will need to purchase an admission ticket from reception on the day if they wish to explore the Museum.