By building a robot, pupils not only develop technical knowledge, but also confidence, creativity and curiosity.
How do you ensure that children not only use technology but also understand it? In Delft, this sometimes starts with a robot on a primary school desk.
Through MIRTE, a robotics programme run by Delft University of Technology, pupils build and programme their own robots. In this way, they discover how technology works through play. But behind this curriculum lies a bigger story: how knowledge generated within the university finds its way into the city.
As part of the themed year ‘The Robots Are Coming’, MIRTE demonstrates how technology does not remain confined to laboratories, but becomes visible to a wide audience. Not as a distant dream, but as something children can already get to grips with themselves today.
We spoke to Demi van Kampen, former project coordinator of the Robotics Programme, about the origins of MIRTE, the power of collaboration in Delft and why, ultimately, a robot is primarily a tool.
Robotics without barriers
The idea for MIRTE did not originate in primary education, but within Delft University of Technology. There, its creator and lecturer Martin Klomp observed that many students found robotics complicated.
“In robotics education, we noticed that students often had to work with different robots and systems,” explains Van Kampen. “As a result, they kept wasting time getting to grips with a new platform. This made the step towards working independently with robotics more daunting than necessary.”
To lower that barrier, the team developed an affordable, modular and open-source robot, complete with teaching materials that build up the technical skills step by step. When this approach proved successful within the university, a logical follow-up question arose: why should only students benefit from this?
In this way, MIRTE has developed into a programme that is now used from primary school right through to university. This creates a continuous learning pathway in which children are introduced to technology at a young age and can build on this knowledge later on.
Building a robot at primary school
MIRTE focuses specifically on pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8. According to Van Kampen, this is precisely the age at which children discover where their interests lie and what they are good at. “We want children to think: technology is complicated, but I can learn this.”
By building and programming a robot themselves, pupils experience how mechanics, electronics and software come together. “The great thing is that they see immediate results. This makes technology something tangible. Not just something you read about, but something you can make yourself.”
According to Van Kampen, the benefits go far beyond technical skills alone.
“Pupils also develop creativity, problem-solving skills, teamwork and self-confidence. Moreover, they learn that making mistakes is part of the learning process. A robot that doesn’t work isn’t a failure. It’s the start of an investigation.”
Why this can happen in Delft in particular
Many cities are investing in technology education. According to Van Kampen, Delft’s strength lies primarily in the collaboration between education, research and industry.
“Communication lines are short here. Researchers, students, schools, community organisations, businesses and the local council are able to connect easily. This enables us to respond quickly, experiment together and improve the programme based on real-world experience.”
This collaboration is evident at various levels. The Teach-the-Teacher programme is organised by the Robotics Institute at TU Delft and the TU Delft Science Centre, in partnership with Smart Makers Delft and the participating primary schools. Furthermore, teachers, educational developers, robotics experts, software developers, designers, researchers and student assistants are working together on the further development of the robot and the teaching materials.
What is particularly striking is how knowledge flows through the city. Students who work with MIRTE during their studies go on to mentor primary school pupils themselves. Research from the university is translated into teaching materials. Teachers then build on that knowledge in their own classrooms. And that is precisely where Delft’s strength lies: new knowledge is not only created here, but also finds its way to the people who will shape the future.
“Children don’t just hear that Delft is an innovative city; they experience it for themselves: they build a robot, programme its behaviour and solve technical challenges. Innovation becomes something they are part of themselves.”Van Kampen’s response to the question of how MIRTE aligns with Delft’s promise as an innovation hub.
As a result, innovation is not confined to the campus, but becomes part of everyday life in the city.
Technology you can experience
According to Van Kampen, the most important lesson for other cities therefore does not lie in the technology itself.
“Don’t start by asking which robot you want to buy, but by asking how you can connect people with one another. When schools, knowledge institutions and local partners collaborate over the long term, the result is much more than just a technical project.”
It is precisely in this way that MIRTE showcases what makes Delft unique. New knowledge is not only developed here, but also shared. From researcher to student. From student to teacher. From teacher to pupil.
And sometimes that starts with something very simple: a child seeing a self-built robot move for the first time and realising that technology isn’t just something you use, but also something you can contribute to yourself.
Register your primary school for free too!
To mark the 50th anniversary of the TU Delft Science Centre and the City of Delft’s ‘Year of Robotics’, primary schools in Delft can take part free of charge in the MIRTE programme for Years 6, 7 and 8.
The programme begins with a ‘Teach-the-Teacher’ training session, followed by a free workshop for pupils at school or at the TU Delft Science Centre.
Teach-the-Teacher training
- Date: Wednesday 23 September 2026
- Time: 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm
- Location: TU Delft Science Centre
- Participation: free of charge, up to two teachers or technology coordinators per school