Microwave Racing: An Interactive Activity to Enthuse Students About HCI

We report on a day of ‘microwave racing’ at a science festival in Brighton, England, as a way of enthusing school-age children about HCI. This transforms an award-winning CHI video showcase idea into an engaging interactive exercise. We describe the concept and setup of the races, as well as feedback from the participants. We discuss how, after engaging with our exhibit, children picked up key messages about HCI in general, and a research project on interface design of medical devices in particular.