Engineers Ireland is at the National Ploughing Championships to showcase the wide range of interesting tech budding engineers can work on.
Engineering is a constantly growing sector in Ireland, with career opportunities that stretch across various industries. With the 92nd National Ploughing Championships still underway, it’s easy for our minds to jump to some of the agricultural machinery at play.
Outside of the world of farming, engineering also has its own ecosystem within construction, water management and manufacturing as well as emerging areas such as green energy and AI.
“Almost everything you rely on or interact with in your life: the house you live in, the electricity that powers your devices, the smartphone you use and the wireless networks that allow it to connect to the internet anywhere in the country, result from the work of engineers,” said Damien Owens, director general at Engineers Ireland.
“Our recent Engineering 2024 report estimated that around 6,000 new job opportunities would occur in the engineering sector this year. Additionally, most disciplines of engineering are listed within the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s critical skills occupations list, underscoring the fact that Ireland is in significant need to more engineers to meet the job opportunities this country has.”
With this in mind, Engineers Ireland took the opportunity to head to this year’s Ploughing Championships to showcase some interesting tech featuring impressive engineering prowess and encourage more people from more rural communities to see the career options available to them within this far-reaching sector, both in agriculture and beyond.
“From more established farming technology like tractors and combine harvesters, to newer innovations such as nanotechnology in fertilisers, engineering has been an integral part of improving productivity in agriculture,” said Owens.
“Engineers Ireland’s exhibition will highlight the incredible breadth of the engineering profession, offering visitors a hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology in fields ranging from robotics to space exploration and automotive engineering.”
Engineering at the Ploughing Championships
For those heading down to the Engineers Ireland exhibit before the end of this year’s event, they will get a chance to see Setanta, an autonomous robot dog that assists humans over the world from factory floors to construction sites and beyond.
“This innovative robot patrols construction sites, conducting laser scans that ensure structures are built according to plan, demonstrating the evolving role of robots in engineering tasks once considered unimaginable,” said Owen.
“Visitors will also be able to interact with a Cobot, a collaborative robot designed to work safely alongside humans. Loaned by Cobots.ie, this Cobot is equipped with advanced sensors and artificial intelligence, enabling it to play interactive games like Xs and Os with attendees.”
For attendees with eyes on the skies, the exhibit also features the Space Store, which allows visitors to experience life as an astronaut with state-of-the-art VR headsets. “Attendees can prepare for a space launch, walk outside a space station, and even try on a replica of the Sokol space suit worn by astronaut Tim Peake.”
There will also be a Formula 1 experience, where visitors will be able to sit in a replica F1 race car and compete to set record lap times, demonstrating the automotive engineering that are vital to motorsports.
“Finally, the exhibition will offer insights into biomedical engineering with a transparent, 3D-printed, life-sized arterial system, complete with a heart and arteries extending to the head, arms, kidneys, and legs,” he said. “This remarkable display includes a pulsatile pump to simulate the beating heart and blood flow dynamics, providing a breath-taking glimpse into the wonders of human anatomy.”
Owens added that while many people associate engineering with construction, it’s only a small part of engineering as a whole. “We hope to demonstrate to members of the public, and particularly students, that a career in engineering can span an almost innumerable range of industries, opening up a world of fascinating and innovating work.”
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