FutureMinds Bootcamp is an AI and Robotics Training for Secondary School Students organized by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor in Collaboration with the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab, an arm of the OAU ICT-Driven Knowledge Park, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Born out of the passion to empower young minds with practical skills in emerging technologies, the bootcamp is designed for 60 secondary school students from five secondary schools in Ile-Ife.

The weeklong AI and Robotics Training features the following tracks:

• Programming Obstacle-Avoidance Robots and implementing closed-loop control.
• Deploying LobeAI models for smart steering of QCars.
• FPV Drone Piloting.
• Robotic Car Simulations and personal projects.
• Project pitch and competition.

By adopting a beginner-friendly and practical-oriented approach, the maiden edition of the FutureMinds Robotics and AI bootcamp aims to inspire innovation early in the minds of secondary school students within Ile-Ife and also provide them with the tools and resources to bring those inspirations to life. Participants for this edition were drawn from five secondary schools (OAU International School, Ambassadors’ College, Oduduwa College, Moremi High School, and St. Mulumba’s St. Mulumba’s Cath. High School, all in Ile-Ife. Culturally, it seeks to further build upon the innovative legacies of our heroes past in positioning our young minds not as spectators in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but rather as active participants and leaders pushing the frontiers of technology beyond the present.

Therefore, as we embark on this revolutionary journey within our amiable University and obey this clarion call to fan into flames of reality the curiosities long buried in the minds of these students, we remind ourselves that with the right tools, mentorship and opportunities, the next generation can not only catch up with the future; but, they possess the very tools to shape it.

The FutureMinds AI & Robotics Bootcamp is proof that with the right tools, mentorship, and opportunities, the next generation can not only catch up with the future; they can shape it.

Dates: 4th–8th August 2025
Venue: Main Hall & Main Hall Annex, OAK‑Park, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile‑Ife, Nigeria