Importance of Diversity in Robotics Highlighted on International Women in Robotics Day

At HAMK, International Women in Robotics Day was celebrated on the Riihimäki campus. The event brought together students, staff, and robotics enthusiasts to discuss what kind of future we are building through robotics and who gets to shape that future.

The keynote speaker was Eevakaisa Särkkä, Robotics Education Adviser from the City of Riihimäki. She spoke about teaching robotics to children and young people of different ages and emphasized that learning technology is about much more than acquiring technical skills.

According to Särkkä, teaching robotics is also about building confidence and encouraging courage. Failure is a natural part of learning, not its opposite. Different learners also need different ways of approaching new ideas, challenges, and experiments.

The discussion also explored how robotics might evolve if more women were involved in designing, developing, and making decisions in the field. Rather than focusing only on the traditional question of how to attract more women to robotics, participants considered a broader perspective: what opportunities a more diverse robotics sector could create for society and technological development as a whole.

Robotics Needs Many Types of Expertise

The future of robotics will not be built by engineers and programmers alone. The field also needs educators, designers, communicators, user experience specialists, business professionals, and many other kinds of experts.

A key message throughout the event was that technology should not be viewed only through the lens of what a robot can do, but also through the lens of what people need.

Having the Courage to Follow Your Own Path

The second keynote was delivered by Mehnaz Khan, Lecturer in ICT, Robotics and Sustainable Urban Design at HAMK, who shared her personal career journey and experiences as an international professional.

Khan studied in India, worked in Saudi Arabia for ten years, and later moved to Finland to continue her studies before eventually joining HAMK as a lecturer.

Drawing on her own experiences, she encouraged students to embrace uncertainty and trust their strengths.

“You may end up somewhere completely different from where you originally planned, and that may turn out to be the best possible direction for you. Be courageous, recognize your strengths, and seize the opportunities that come your way.”

A More Diverse Field Benefits Everyone

When people with different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds are involved in developing technology, the result is more inclusive and meaningful solutions that address a wider range of human needs.

International Women in Robotics Day offers an annual opportunity to highlight the role of women in technology and to discuss how robotics can become a more diverse, accessible, and human-centered field in the future. Ultimately, robotics is not only about advancing technology but also about creating solutions that benefit people and society as a whole.