Investigate why robot dogs are visiting schools across the UK with the STEM Detective!

This year’s STEM Education Roadshow is running school workshops about artificial intelligence with a robot dog named Lexi. But, while pupils get to make music videos with Lexi, robot dogs have other functions on the battlefield.

The STEM Education Roadshow is organised by BAE Systems, with the support of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. The roadshow has been running for 20 years and now visits around 500 schools across the UK each year.

BAE Systems is the UK’s largest arms company, and makes 95% of its profit from the arms industry. It is particularly controversial because its fighter jets have been used in the bombings of Yemen and Gaza, where many thousands of children have been killed or wounded, and their schools and communities devastated.

Robot dogs have been developed for the military and, along with other AI, are being used with more frequency by armed forces across the world.

As well as providing a more balanced view of the main purpose of real-life robot dogs, this video raises questions about the ethics of arms companies involvement in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) activities in schools.

#STEM4peace

Video by ForcesWatch, 2025.

Funded by the Edith Ellis Charitable Trust.

ForcesWatch is part of the Peace Education Network.

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