Ġiġ the robot shows off

Ġiġ is an advanced humanoid robot built by University students in the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)'s special project lab as part of an artificial intelligence course. Ġiġ was built using 15 servo-motors and a special robotics controller. Although Ġiġ is only 14 inches tall the robot has been programmed by the students to perform all sorts of interesting tricks.

Come and watch Ġiġ show off to visitors at the University ICT projects exhibition. The robot can walk, bow, perform push-ups, cartwheels, hand-stands, fetch objects, and even chase the cats on campus. The cats have now got used to the robot and sniff it curiously from time to time. One cat has even taken to licking the robot.

The exhibition gives enables final year ICT students to demonstrate their final year project to their proud parents, friends, and prospective employers. This year, various innovative projects in all ICT areas are being exhibited. These include an automated course-selection adviser for students, game playing, intelligent traffic management, face recognition, and a very interesting tool that automatically changes films into cartoons.

This will be the second year the ICT Faculty is organising the exhibition. The faculty was formed just under two years ago and incorporates the departments of Computer Science, Intelligent Computer Systems, Computer Information Systems, Communications and Computer Engineering, and Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics.

The ICT Faculty is looking forward to an exciting and very busy future. A new, eco-friendly, state-of-the-art ICT building has started to be constucted, and it is expected to be completed in three years' time. The new building will house all five ICT departments, offices for academic staff and graduate students, lecture rooms, as well as a number of modern laboratories with the latest ICT equipment.

The faculty is also phasing out the old four-year IT Honours degree and replacing it with a number of so-called '3 plus 2' degree programmes. The new degree programmes were introduced two years ago and the first students will graduate in 2010.

The idea behind this is that students first read a three-year degree in an ICT area, and then, if they so choose, read a two-year Masters postgraduate degree in ICT. Various degree programmes are offered, enabling students to choose the area of specialisation most suitable for them.

Another advantage of a three-year degree is that students can start working a year earlier. The system is being adopted Europe-wide. The ICT final year projects exhibition will be open to the public on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Faculty of ICT Building.