From ancient artefacts to cutting-edge robotics, Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are preparing for a day of discovery as 16 teams from across the country take part in the FIRST LEGO League Challenge Regional at Dublin City University (DCU) on Saturday 28 February 2026.
This season’s FIRST LEGO League Challenge theme, UNEARTHED™, invites teams to step into the role of archaeologists. Throughout the year, participants have explored how the past is uncovered, studied, and protected, and how innovation can help solve real challenges faced in archaeology today. Their innovation projects focus on identifying genuine problems in the field and proposing creative, practical solutions that could help preserve history for future generations.
Alongside their research, teams have designed, built, and programmed LEGO® robots to complete a series of themed missions, developing skills in coding, engineering, and critical thinking along the way.
Bringing together girls from 11 IGG Guide and Senior Branch Units, the Regional Tournament celebrates curiosity, collaboration, and problem-solving. Participants will put their STEM skills to the test through a high-energy robot game, an innovation project, and presentations that reflect the FIRST® LEGO® League Core Values of teamwork, inclusion, and gracious professionalism.
The event marks a key milestone in the FIRST LEGO League season, with teams competing for a place in the Ireland Final on Saturday 21 March 2026.
We wish the very best of luck to all the teams taking part in the Regional Tournament:
conNÈCKt – Lucan Guides (4 team members)
The Fossil Finders – Lucan Guides (4 team members)
Spaghetti Rollz – Ardagh Guides (7 team members)
Ancient Coders – Ardagh Guides (7 team members)
Kerry Relic Rangers – Dingle Guides (3 team members)
An Daingean Diggers – Dingle Guides (6 team members)
KRILL-iana Jones – North Longford Guides (5 team members)
Barney the Dinosaur – Lily Guides (8 team members)
Rock Stars – Lily Guides (8 team members)
InGen – Macalla Guides Trim (5 team members)
Clogherhead Heads – Clogherhead Guides (6 team members)
Disco Dynamics – Mullagh Senior Branch (8 team members)
Dilse Diggers – Dilse Senior Branch (3 team members)
The Little Timmies – Cairde Guides (4 team members)
Brickmasters – Naas Guides (5 team members)
U Rockers – Naas Guides (5 team members)
“FIRST LEGO League gives girls the opportunity to explore STEM in a hands-on, meaningful way,” said Katie Keogh, Irish Girl Guides LEGO Project Chair. “Watching teams grow in confidence as they collaborate, problem-solve, and share their ideas is incredibly rewarding. This Regional event is a celebration of all the effort they’ve put in throughout the season.”
The Regional Tournament promises a lively and supportive atmosphere, with families, Leaders, and volunteers cheering on the teams. The day will conclude with a showcase of innovation projects and achievements, recognising the creativity, resilience, and teamwork demonstrated by every participant.
Supported by the Research Ireland Discover Programme, FIRST® LEGO® League is organised by CreativeHUT.
From flying toilet paper experiments to identifying ancient fossils, there is a whole lot of wild and wacky scientific fun headed to Fitzgerald Park this weekend. The Cork City park is transforming once again into Ireland’s largest pop-up science lab as the Cork Carnival of Science returns from June 7th – 8th.
With explosive experiments, roaming performers, live shows and hands-on discovery zones, this FREE family fun weekend invites visitors explore, discover, investigate, and experiment with the science behind the world around us.
Whether you’re a curious kid, an intrigued adult, or just someone who appreciates a great day out, there’s something for you to discover! In fact, here are ten fascinating scientific theories and concepts you can explore at this year’s festival:
1. Air Pressure Can Make Things Fly (Even Toilet Roll) At The Air Force Show, a high-energy demonstration from Simply Science, you’ll see the principles of flight brought to life using high-speed fans, air cannons and an unlikely co-star: flying toilet paper. This dynamic show explores how unseen forces like lift and drag keep things airborne — from planes to paper.
2. Storms Are Made of Science In Storm Chaser, RTÉ’s Mark the Science Guy recreates extreme weather phenomena indoors with a series of electrifying experiments. Expect sparks to fly as he explores the science behind lightning, thunder, and static electricity — revealing what really happens when the atmosphere turns wild.
3. Physics Is Behind Every Great Goal If you’ve ever wondered what connects a footballer’s balance to Newton’s Laws, Science of Sport has the answer. Using agility drills, balance boards and crowd participation, Science Made Simple shows how physics, biomechanics and reaction time all play a part in performance on the pitch.
4. Fossils Tell Stories (and You Might Be Holding One) At The Fossil Roadshow by Irish Fossil Heritage, young explorers can bring in their own rocks to be identified — learning whether they’re holding a lump of limestone or a 300-million-year-old fern fossil. It’s a chance to uncover Ireland’s prehistoric past through real-life geology and palaeontology.
5. Plants Are Tiny Chemists In Bubbling Botanicals by Science 2 Life, budding scientists can experiment with colourful potions and fizzy reactions to discover how plants use chemistry to grow, adapt and even defend themselves. Expect bubbling beakers, vibrant colours and a few surprises in the tent on the Main Green.
6. Bubbles Reveal Invisible Forces It might look like a pretty bit of magic, but the giant bubbles floating around Fitzgerald Park are actually lessons in surface tension and air pressure. Watch as science performers use soapy spheres to demonstrate the physics of liquids in action. It’s mesmerising and surprisingly educational!
7. Everything is under pressure
Have you got what it takes to lie on a bed of 3000+ nails and discover the mind-blowing science of pressure and force? Join the team from Explorium- Ireland’s National Sport and Science Centre to find out!
8. Optical Illusions Are Just Brainy Physics The Circus Science Show blends sleight-of-hand, circus skills and scientific explanation to explore how the brain interprets light, sound, and motion. You’ll laugh, gasp, and probably be tricked — all while learning how our senses can fool us.
9. Plants React to the World Around Them Plant ‘behaviour’ might sound odd, but it’s a growing field in biology. At various science stands, you’ll discover how plants move, respond to light, and even ‘communicate’ using chemical signals. It’s a leafy lesson in environmental adaptation and survival and one that makes perfect sense in the lush green setting of Fitzgerald Park!
10. Robots Can Dance (and You Can Build One) In the innovation and discovery zones, you’ll find robotic kits, coding challenges and interactive exhibits that prove STEM is so exciting. Try your hand at simple programming or meet a robot that follows your commands — and maybe even busts a move.
From weather to wildlife, bubbles to biomechanics, Cork Carnival of Science is full of surprising moments that bring scientific ideas to life in a way that’s hands-on, exciting, and genuinely memorable. And best of all? It’s completely free.
Cork Carnival of Science 2025 is proudly supported by Cork City Council and Research Ireland with sign language interpretation available at live shows to ensure accessibility for all.
Whether you’re curious about chemistry, obsessed with the outdoors, or just love a good explosion — Cork Carnival of Science invites you to dive in, experiment, and believe in science!
For the latest updates, visit corkcity.ie/corkcarnivalofscience or follow @corkcitycouncilofficial on social media. Cork Carnival of Science is proudly supported by Cork City Council, Research Ireland and media partners The Irish Examiner and Cork’s Red Fm. #BelieveInScience #CorkCarnivalOfScience
If your business content strategy feels more like a relic from 2015, you are going to want to make a real effort to bring it up to date for 2025, but don’t worry because doing so is much simpler than you might think, as you will see below…
The 2025 Mindset: Why Your Content Needs a Makeover
Picture the scene: it’s 2025, and you’re still sending prospects links to the same old PDF you created back in the early 2010s. Cue the collective eye roll from potential customers who simply do not have the time (or the patience) to squint at some archaic document that refuses to adapt to their phone screens. Your brand might be brilliant, but if your content strategy is stuck in a tech time-warp, you risk leaving money on the table.
So why go through the hassle of a thorough content overhaul? First, consider user experience (UX). Nobody wants to pinch-and-zoom just to read a product description and will take their business elsewhere. Next, think about brand perception: if you’re peddling next-level innovations but your marketing materials look like they were typed up on Windows 95, there’s a bit of a mismatch. Finally, let’s not forget the search engine overlords. Google, Bing, and their buddies favour sites that are consistently updated with fresh, dynamic material. If half your site is locked away in PDFs or outdated pages, you might as well be burying your brilliance in a dusty digital warehouse. Embrace the 2025 mindset by aiming for content that’s easily searchable, instantly shareable, and undeniably user-friendly.
Bye-Bye Endless PDFs
We’ve all been there: you click on a product brochure or an annual report, only to be greeted by an obnoxiously large PDF that struggles to open on mobile, or worse, takes half a century to download. PDFs have their merits—they’re neat, they’re universal, and they’re fabulous for printing. But if you’ve been using them as your primary digital format, it might be time to consider a better alternative.
Why bother ditching or reducing your PDF usage, you ask? Because on top of being an SEO black hole (search engines can’t always index them well, and when they do, it’s often incomplete), they’re also a royal pain for mobile users. Enter the “pdf to html python” approach (don’t worry, you don’t actually have to code unless you want to). Converting bulky PDFs into well-structured web pages, using PDF to HTML Python, helps ensure your content can adapt to every screen size, making it more accessible, shareable, and downright more appealing. Imagine a crisp webpage that flows seamlessly on mobiles and tablets, rather than forcing your reader to keep zooming in like they’re solving a puzzle.
Even if you’re not a coding whizz, there are plenty of tools or freelance developers who can handle this for you. The result? A more dynamic user experience, better SEO, and an end to those dreaded complaints from people who “swear the PDF crashed their phone.”
Formatting That Embraces the Digital Age
We’re living in a world of fleeting attention spans. If your online content requires Sherlock Holmes-level dedication just to extract the core message, you’ve lost your audience before they’ve even had a chance to get the gist of your brilliance. Spicing up your content doesn’t mean turning everything into a cringe-fest of emojis and clickbait headlines. It’s about embracing the digital age with eye-catching design and concise formatting.
Consider bullet points for quick skimmability. Use headings and subheadings (just like this post) so readers can jump directly to what they care about. Insert visuals at strategic intervals—charts, memes, or high-quality photographs of your product or service in action. Think about colour contrast too. If your brand palette is as dull as a British January morning, you might want to inject a bit more vibrancy. After all, visuals can boost engagement significantly, as people tend to retain more information when it’s paired with images.
That said, the key is balance. Too many animated GIFs and your site transforms into a carnival. Not enough variety, and it’s back to snoozeville. Aim for that sweet spot where visitors see your page and think, “Ooh, this looks inviting,” instead of “My brain hurts—close tab!”
Optimise for Humans and Robots Alike (SEO Meets Readability)
Let’s be frank: we all want to impress the almighty Google algorithm. Yet, in our quest for SERP domination, it’s easy to forget the real people behind the search queries. Yes, SEO is crucial—getting your brand out of the digital basement depends on it—but playing to the search engines shouldn’t come at the cost of genuine readability.
Here’s a radical thought: write for humans first, then fine-tune for robots. If your content is jam-packed with nonsensical keyword stuffing, no actual human will bother reading it. A better approach? Identify the key phrases your audience actually uses, then incorporate them organically. Use meta tags and descriptions to give search engines a clear idea of your topic without overwhelming your readers with spammy jargon.
Better readability also means spacing out your text. Far too many websites still present a mountainous wall of words that leaves readers gasping for air. Short paragraphs, subheadings, and strategically placed lists (like this one) can make all the difference. In 2025, content that’s genuinely helpful, informative, and easy on the eyes will always trump outdated keyword factories that do little more than irritate potential customers.
Interactive Elements: Because 2025 Is All About Engagement
Remember the days when a website was basically just an online brochure? Pepperidge Farm might remember, but the rest of us have moved on to bigger and better things. Nowadays, if your site doesn’t have interactive elements—videos, quizzes, animations, or at least a smattering of clickable goodies—users may think your brand has turned off the innovation tap.
But let’s not overdo it. A 90s-style flashing banner or an avalanche of pop-ups can send your visitors running faster than you can say “annoying.” Instead, think about meaningful interactions: an embedded video demonstration of your product, an interactive price calculator, or even a short personality quiz that helps users decide which of your services is right for them. This fosters a sense of discovery, giving your audience a reason to explore your site longer. The longer they hang around, the higher the chance they’ll take action—sign up, make a purchase, or even share your site on social media. Magic, isn’t it?
One more tip: always keep accessibility in mind. Interactive elements that rely on flashy visuals can sometimes exclude users who rely on screen readers or have slower internet connections. Provide alternative text, captions, or fallback options wherever feasible. After all, a truly modern 2025 site is one that’s inclusive to all.
Harnessing the Power of AI
Yes, the AI revolution is upon us, and it’s not just about robot butlers or self-driving cars. AI-driven content tools are popping up left, right, and centre, promising to transform your brand’s online presence with minimal effort. While these tools can be fantastic for suggestions, data analysis, or even generating an initial draft, your audience can still smell a purely machine-written piece from a mile away.
The trick? Combine AI smarts with human creativity. Let AI take care of tedious tasks, such as generating metadata or summarising large chunks of data. It might even spark ideas for angles you hadn’t considered. But always infuse your final copy with genuine brand personality and a dash of humanity. Readers respond to authenticity, stories, and that intangible quality that says, “A real person who cares wrote this.”
Careful not to let AI overshadow your brand’s unique voice, though. If your website starts sounding like a generic, corporate drone, you’re not doing yourself any favours. Remember that in 2025, people crave a personal touch—especially in a world increasingly bombarded by advanced algorithms. So, use AI as your sidekick, not as the star of the show.
Making Friends with Multimedia
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a killer video is worth about a million. In the quest to spruce up your content for 2025, consider branching out beyond plain text and static images. It’s not about making everything a TED Talk, but offering diverse media can appeal to different audience preferences. Some folks love reading detailed blog posts, others prefer short how-to videos, and a fair few might gravitate towards podcasts or audio snippets they can enjoy while on the move.
So, what does this mean in practice? Perhaps embed a quick behind-the-scenes video about your product’s creation process, or add audio clips with expert tips. If you run a consulting firm, short “FAQ mini-podcast episodes” on your site could do wonders to spice up your brand’s personality. Just make sure your multimedia choices are relevant and high-quality—nobody wants to see a grainy, half-lit video from 2012. The bar in 2025 is high, so invest in a decent microphone, brush up on basic editing, and keep your messaging crystal-clear.
User-Generated Content: Let Your Audience Do the Talking
Ever wondered how some brands manage to generate buzz without constantly churning out new marketing campaigns? They let their users share experiences, stories, and feedback—often for free. It’s a clever approach, tapping into that innate human desire to express opinions (and sometimes, to show off a great purchase).
Incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your 2025 strategy might be as simple as featuring customer reviews, encouraging social media posts, or running a photo contest with brand hashtags. Not only does this freshen up your content arsenal, but it also creates a sense of community around your product or service. People trust real experiences and testimonials, often more than perfectly polished brand statements.
However, it’s vital to moderate UGC. You don’t want your site’s comment section to devolve into the wild west. Encourage honest feedback, but maintain guidelines to keep things respectful. When done right, UGC can be an absolute goldmine, offering you a constant stream of fresh content—straight from the mouths (and cameras) of your happy customers.
A vision for a technologically and digitally enabled future for the Irish co-operative agrifood sector, with the skills of human beings remaining integrally engaged, was presented today at the final conference of the LeadFarm 5.0 project, held in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
The conference was opened by the Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins TD. The initiative started in May 2022 spearheaded by ICOS Skillnet in collaboration with Léargas and supported by the EU Erasmus+ programme.
In the future, advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and big data will be integrated into all aspects of daily life. This integration aims to solve social challenges, improve quality of life and enhance the success of enterprises.
The LeadFarm project focused on developing a competency framework and roadmap for Irish agrifood co-operatives to transition the skills of their people towards ‘Society 5.0’ or the ‘super-intelligent society’. It has been a collaborative effort involving a broad and diverse range of co-operatives including management, farmers and workers from Ireland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Latvia and Portugal.
A training curriculum emerging from the project emphasises human skills acquisition in areas such as digitalisation, sustainability, management and entrepreneurship while highlighting the potential to balance digital advancements with human-robot collaboration. The approach aims to improve employment opportunities and skills in rural Ireland, creating a sustainable future for the industry.
Minister Niall Collins TD said:
“I congratulate the ICOS Skillnet for taking proactive steps to clarify the competencies required for the adoption of digital innovation by agri-food cooperatives. Initiatives like this ensure that Ireland shapes its future rather than simply respond to technological change ”.
ICOS President Edward Carr said:
“The purpose of this conference is to disseminate the outcomes of the LeadFarm 5.0 project to as many stakeholders as possible. It outlines the good work carried out by this pan-European initiative and showcases the benefits to co-operatives and farmers across Europe.
“ICOS is the lead partner in this project. This is with the specific aim to support various stakeholders including co-operatives, social enterprises, boards of directors, farmers, trainers, and educators, with a particular focus on those at risk of exclusion such as youth and women.
“The concept is about ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry through skill and talent development. We are focused on creating a more digitally aware society that will be human-centred and will take advantage of technology to tackle problems that affect the whole of society as well as our own industry.
“The agri-food co-operative sector must participate, join this trend, and support the creation of a society which is aware and committed to the problems it faces, avoiding becoming a sector that remains a trace of the technological past.”
International collaboration and engagement of the lead partners from seven countries has fostered international collaboration and the exchange of best practices. All intellectual outputs have been secured for practical application within Ireland, ensuring the Irish agrifood sector can be aware and prepared for significant technological advancements.
Minister Niall Collins acknowledged the importance of the project’s achievements and the promotion of future success for Irish co-operative enterprises within the framework of Society 5.0.
Future Impact
Further Background:
LeadFarm 5.0 arises from the need to improve the knowledge, capacities and skills of European agri-food co-operatives regarding the use of digital innovations that can be easily adapted to new agricultural models that will largely replace the intensive industrial farming model and that will require changes in business decision-making processes.
Agrifood co-operatives need to improve and innovate key capacities, skills and competencies for change in the fields of action for climate and AI without neglecting the most basic human values linked to co-operatives.
This needs to take into account the industry trend towards automation of production processes, in the context of AI development, the internet of things, cognitive computing, the use of cobots (collaborative robots), and promoting precision agriculture, without forgetting climate change mitigation.
Empowering the human being must be at the centre of all of this, supported by technology at the centre of production processes.
In today’s ever-changing market, warehouse logistics face new challenges that demand increased efficiency and process optimization. Automation represents a key solution capable of radically transforming warehouse operations, speeding up processes, and reducing the likelihood of errors.
Key warehouse automation technologies
Experts from the consulting company Euristiq share with us the secrets of warehouse technology that make automation so attractive in modern business.
Robotic control systems. These systems use robots to perform warehouse tasks such as loading, sorting, and moving goods, reducing processing time, and minimizing errors. Robotic systems, such as Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and robotic manipulators, transform warehouse operations by offering flexibility and scalability for handling various tasks.
Warehouse management systems. WMS ensures precise inventory management, improving storage organization and optimizing the paths of goods movement in the warehouse. Modern systems provide centralized inventory management, improving data accuracy and transparency, which is crucial for effective warehouse planning and management.
Integration with IoT. The use of the Internet of Things allows warehouses to efficiently track processes and the condition of goods in real-time, increasing transparency and operational management. This makes it easy to collect real-time data on inventory status, equipment, and processes, thereby optimizing warehouse operations and management.
These technologies transform warehouse operations, making them more efficient, cost-effective, and adaptable to changing market demands.
The benefits of automation for warehouse efficiency
Automation in warehouse logistics plays a critical role in enhancing the competitiveness of modern enterprises. Implementing automated systems transforms traditional warehouses, making them more productive, economically efficient, and adaptable to changing market demands.
Increased productivity
Automation introduces technologies such as robotic management systems that significantly accelerate order processing and optimize warehouse operations. The result is increased productivity, allowing for the processing of more orders in less time.
Reduced operational costs
Automation reduces operational costs by decreasing the need for manual labor and minimizing errors. Inventory management systems and integration with the Internet of Things (IoT) provide accurate inventory tracking and management, reducing losses and excess inventory.
Improved accuracy and quality
Automated systems increase the accuracy of inventory and order processing, minimizing the likelihood of errors. Accurate inventory tracking and proper order management enhance overall operational quality.
Flexibility and scalability
Automation provides warehouses with the flexibility and scalability necessary to adapt to changing market conditions and customer requirements. This allows businesses to expand or modify operations without significant costs and restructuring.
Examples of successful automation in practice
Let’s look at specific examples of how companies are transforming their warehouse operations using advanced technologies.
First example: Autonomous Mobile Robots
One of the major retailers implemented robotic systems to manage its warehouse, speeding up the process of picking and delivering goods. With automated systems such as Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), the company was able to significantly increase work productivity, minimize errors, and reduce order fulfillment time.
An efficiency analysis showed that thanks to automation, the cost of fulfilling one order decreased by 30%, and the picking accuracy increased to 99.5%. This led to a noticeable improvement in customer service and overall operational efficiency.
Second example: IoT and WMS integration
Another company specializing in wholesale trade used IoT integration and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) to improve inventory management. Using IoT sensors and data analytics, the company could track the condition of goods in real time, preventing excess or shortage.
This integration resulted in a significant reduction in losses due to spoilage, improved inventory accuracy, and increased customer satisfaction through faster and more accurate delivery.
The future of warehouse automation
Warehouse automation is constantly evolving, with new technologies emerging each year to make processes more efficient and cost-effective. One important direction that experts at Euristiq company identify is the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize logistics processes.
Autonomous delivery systems, such as drones and unmanned ground vehicles, promise to revolutionize the delivery process, reducing time and costs. Smart warehouses that integrate AI for automatic sorting and packing can further increase efficiency and reduce the need for manually performed operations.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are also beginning to find applications in warehouse logistics, providing innovative solutions for training and supporting staff, improving warehouse navigation, and assisting in high-precision order picking.
Warehouse automation has already proven its value, providing companies with the ability to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction. As technology advances, the prospects for warehouse automation become even more extensive, promising to bring revolutionary changes to warehouse management and logistics as a whole. Companies that invest in automation today will lead tomorrow, ensuring a sustainable and efficient future in warehouse logistics.
A new drive system for flapping wing autonomous robots has been developed by a University of Bristol team, using a new method of electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears.
This new advance, published today in the journal Science Robotics, could pave the way for smaller, lighter and more effective micro flying robots for environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and deployment in hazardous environments.
Until now, typical micro flying robots have used motors, gears and other complex transmission systems to achieve the up-and-down motion of the wings. This has added complexity, weight and undesired dynamic effects.
Taking inspiration from bees and other flying insects, researchers from Bristol’s Faculty of Engineering, led by Professor of Robotics Jonathan Rossiter, have successfully demonstrated a direct-drive artificial muscle system, called the Liquid-amplified Zipping Actuator (LAZA), that achieves wing motion using no rotating parts or gears.
The LAZA system greatly simplifies the flapping mechanism, enabling future miniaturization of flapping robots down to the size of insects.
Flying insect sized robot. Credit Dr Tim Helps
In the paper, the team show how a pair of LAZA-powered flapping wings can provide more power compared with insect muscle of the same weight, enough to fly a robot across a room at 18 body lengths per second.
They also demonstrated how the LAZA can deliver consistent flapping over more than one million cycles, important for making flapping robots that can undertake long-haul flights.
The team expect the LAZA to be adopted as a fundamental building block for a range of autonomous insect-like flying robots.
Dr Tim Helps, lead author and developer of the LAZA system said “With the LAZA, we apply electrostatic forces directly on the wing, rather than through a complex, inefficient transmission system. This leads to better performance, simpler design, and will unlock a new class of low-cost, lightweight flapping micro-air vehicles for future applications, like autonomous inspection of off-shore wind turbines.”
Professor Rossiter added: “Making smaller and better performing flapping wing micro robots is a huge challenge. LAZA is an important step toward autonomous flying robots that could be as small as insects and perform environmentally critical tasks such as plant pollination and exciting emerging roles such as finding people in collapsed buildings.”
