This year marks the first time that we bestow our top Robotics Engineering students with the Meredith Thring Awards.

These awards are given in honour of Professor Meredith Thring, a true pioneer in robotics. Professor Thring joined Queen Mary College — as Queen Mary was known then — as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1964, more than sixty years ago! He was among the very first academics in the world to carry out robotics research at a university.

His visionary work focused on assistive robotic technologies — robots designed to help people in their everyday lives. He developed systems that could perform household tasks such as cleaning and serving food in what he imagined as the “home of the future,” as well as robotic wheelchairs capable of climbing stairs to enhance mobility for people with disabilities. His work was even featured in the recent blockbuster movie The Creator.

In the spirit of his innovation and humanity, we celebrate the achievements of the three top robotics students at Queen Mary, each being awarded £100 in recognition of their hard work.

1. The Meredith Thring Award for the finalist achieving the highest overall mark on a Robotics undergraduate programme was awarded to Hana Hadidi.
2. The Meredith Thring Award for the best Year-2 student enrolled on a Robotics undergraduate programme went to Sara Perveez-Dhanjal.
3. The Meredith Thring Award for the finalist achieving the highest overall mark on a Robotics MSc programme went to Zongkai Li.