If you’ve ever watched a child take apart a toy just to see how it works, you’ll know curiosity is a powerful engine. Now imagine channelling that energy into an HMGICS SPOT robot at their new robot coding workshop.
You may have seen SPOT, the dog-like robot from Boston Dynamics, bounding across YouTube. At HMGICS, SPOT has a day job: it autonomously navigates the production floor, snapping images of assembled components and feeding them into AI-powered quality checks.
This new workshop miniaturises that idea. Children build and code a scaled-down SPOT, then watch their commands turn into motion and micro-missions.
Tomorrow’s mobility won’t run on petrol alone, but rather on data, autonomy and smart manufacturing. Better to start that conversation early, with bricks and bright eyes.
Who’s it for?
This workshop is designed for children aged between 6 and 12 years old. No prior coding skills needed, just curiosity. The workshop is a 90-minute guided session to build and programme a SPOT-inspired robot, then test it on everyday tasks designed to show how tech helps people.
When: Every Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am and 4:00pm, starting 13 September 2025
Class size & fee: Up to 8 children per session; $25 per child
Good cause: All proceeds go to the President’s Challenge
How to join: Register via hyundai.com/sg
Running alongside is HMGICS’ Smart Food Lab for younger kids (3–6 years) at 10:30am and 4:30pm, a neat sibling-friendly pairing if you’ve got different age groups in tow.
Build the bot, spark the mind
“At HMGICS, we see it as our responsibility to inspire and prepare the next generation for the future of mobility,” said Dr Hyun Sung Park, CEO of HMGICS. “Following the Smart Food Lab, the SPOT Robot Coding Workshop offers a meaningful and engaging way for children to develop skills and curiosity around robotics and technology. We hope this programme will spark their imagination and encourage them to explore what innovation can achieve.”
The workshop complements the HMGICS Discovery Tour, where the public can try a VR factory tour, take Skytrack rides, and trace a seed-to-table journey in the on-site Smart Farm. It all sits within Hyundai Motor Group’s EV production facility.
Can a 90-minute HMGICS SPOT workshop cultivate an engineer?
Not overnight. But it can plant a seed; the moment a child realises a line of code can make a machine look, think, and move. In a city that prizes possibility, that first “Aha!” is worth its weight in lithium.
Bring your little tinkerers. Let them build a robot dog. And who knows, one day they might build the future it runs through.
Futr's managing editor loves all things retro, even though he was born in the late 90s. Even though his main job encompasses tons of driving, he swears he turns off the lights each time he leaves his room.
