Changing the world with robots

Robotics hotshot Marita Cheng’s world exploded with possibility after she discovered her brother’s discarded Time Magazines.

Marita Cheng fell in love with robots at the age of 12. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Robotics hotshot Marita Cheng’s world exploded with possibility after she discovered her older brother’s discarded Time Magazines.

The 30-year-old technology and robotics entrepreneur said she was inspired her by the stories of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Google co-founder Larry Page, which she read as a teenager in a housing commission unit in the far north Queensland city of Cairns.

“I thought it was really inspiring someone so young could make such a difference,” she said.

“It made me believe even though I young living in Cairns in far north Queensland I could change the world.”

Ms Cheng fell in love with robots at the age of 12 and it’s a passion that has paved the road to her many successes.

“I just thought they were really cool and I thought they could make life better for everyone.”

She founded and is the CEO of telepresence robotics company Aubot, which makes robots for people whose bodies can’t fully serve them.

Her products are used by kids with cancer, people with disabilities and the elderly.

She is one of Forbes World’s Top 50 Women in Tech and was the 2012 Young Australian of the Year.

Now she’s being appointed as a member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the field of robotics.

“I did not expect this at all and it just came out of the blue,” she said. “It’s a really nice thing.”

Ms Cheng also founded Robogals in her second year of university after noticing how few female classmates she had in her engineering degree.

The initiative now runs robot making workshops to girls in classrooms all over the world.

“I think the girls really like that the maths and science they learn can be used to solve real world problems,” she said.

“If a girl can see the impact of what she’s learning that inspires her to continue her studies in maths and science.”

Ms Cheng said having public role models is the key to girls to getting girls into the male dominated fields of science, maths and engineering.

“I think that girls need to see it to be it,” she said.

“It’s really important for them to have role models so they can imagine what life can be like when they’re older.”