By Ana Rubio Denniss, Senior Technician (Makerspace), King’s College London

Earlier this autumn, I had the pleasure of attending the first-ever ROSCon UK, held in the historic and vibrant city of Edinburgh. As someone deeply involved in robotics education and technical support, this event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with a diverse community of researchers, educators, and industry professionals who are shaping the future of robotics in the UK and beyond.

My attendance was generously supported by UKRAS STEPS, whose funding made it possible for me to engage fully with the conference and its many valuable sessions. I’m incredibly grateful for their support, which enabled me to participate in discussions that are directly relevant to my work and professional development.

One of the standout moments for me was the Teaching with ROS workshop. This session brought together educators using ROS in higher education to share their experiences, challenges, and best practices. It quickly became clear that many institutions are independently developing similar teaching resources and tools – an effort that, while admirable, could benefit greatly from more collaboration and standardisation. I left the workshop feeling inspired and hopeful that this conversation will spark new initiatives to streamline and unify ROS-based teaching across the UK.

Throughout the conference, a recurring theme was the importance of reproducibility and standardisation in robotics. From the use of containers to support consistent teaching environments, to the emphasis on well-documented open-source software and hardware, these principles were echoed across talks and workshops. As a technician, I see firsthand how critical it is to maintain continuity across research groups and teaching modules – especially as staff and students cycle through projects. Ensuring that our work remains relevant and usable over time is not just good practice; it’s essential for building sustainable robotics infrastructure.

ROSCon UK also offered a rich networking environment. I met many passionate individuals working on fascinating projects, and it was energising to see how ROS is being applied across such a wide spectrum of robotics domains. The conversations I had – whether over coffee or during the gala dinner at the stunning Playfair Library – reinforced the value of community and collaboration in this field.

In summary, ROSCon UK 2025 was a milestone event for the UK robotics community, and I’m proud to have been part of it. I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to UKRAS STEPS for making my attendance possible. Their support not only enabled me to learn and contribute, but also helped strengthen the bridge between technical practice and robotics education – a bridge I’m excited to keep building.