Festival's newest zone draws in the crowds to mark the Year of Engineering

Robots on display

Thousands flocked to the Enginuity Zone on the first day of Imperial Festival for a chance to pan for gold and play robotic air hockey.

The College's seventh ever festival had a special nod to the 2018 Year of Engineering with the Enginuity Zone where visitors young and old took the chance to explore cutting-edge inventions.

Visitors got to check out the future of robotic surgery and the latest rescue robots - while one robot dog had a busy day walking on air. 

Imperial's engineering expertise was put to the test by visitors who tried out the special prototype Smart Baby Buggy - the brainchild of a sight-impaired west London resident who worked together with Imperial students. 

Everyone's favourite must-have gadget was under the microscope with crowds being tested on how much gold was in their phones - while younger visitors got down and dirty panning for the precious metal.

Imperial's expert scientists were on hand to explain carbon capture and storage and learn about low-cost sensors that predict floods and storage.

One special display looked at the role of serendipity in science with visitors learning how inventions from matchsticks to microwaves and Velcro to chocolate chip cookies had been found when they were least expected.

Meanwhile, musicians got the chance to view their tunes as highly visual displays of multi-coloured soap and colour hungry visitors got to experiment with food colouring.

Over in the main entrance, events in the Robot Zone were in full flight and engineers were celebrating 100 years of aeronautics in the Aero Zone.

The fun continues tomorrow with the doors open again at midday. Check out the full details of the programme.

Image credits: Thomas Angus. Imperial College London