Robin graduated from Surrey University, UK, in 1967 with a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in electrical engineering and completed her M.Phil. degree on the ion implantation of compound semiconductors in 1973. From 1971 to 1982 she was a Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electronic and Communications Engineering at the Polytechnic of North London (now University of North London). She recently completed a Doctorate in Education at Durham University in UK. In 1980 she set up her own consultancy company and spent the next 10 years working for most of the major consumer electronic and personal computer companies as a consultant on the design, manufacturing and marketing of products as diverse as educational robots, satellite communications systems and electronic calculators. She has also advised many companies around the region on their manufacturing procedures. Robin joined City University in 1990.
She is the author of over 30 books on personal computing and personal robotics, and has had many articles published in the press as well as being a well known ‘computer guru’ on television and radio, and in the popular press, in the UK in the 1970s and early 80s. Her interest in personal robotics led her to organise the World Micromouse Finals, held in Hong Kong in 1991, and the World Robot Ping Pong Championships held in Hong Kong in 1992. She also organised the Hong Kong Micromouse Competition since its inception in 1990 until 1995. Recently she organised the first WWF/CityU Underwater Robot Challenge amd mentored the winning Hong Kong team at their successful debut at the International ROV Contest in Houston, TX, USA.
Her current research focuses on leading a team designing and developing a range of instruments and underwater robots to assist marine biologists monitor the reefs at Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in Hong Kong. She is also leading a small team developing and evaluating new teaching methodologies based around small group interactive learning - the subject of her EdD thesis. She has published many journal and conference papers, as well as book chapters,
Robin was a Visiting Associate Professor in the
Electrical, Computing and Systems Engineering Department at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA from June 1999 - January 2000
Robin is currently Secretary of the IEEE Hong
Kong
Section Consumer Electronics Chapter, Member of the IET Hong Kong
Branch Committee, and Member IEEE Hong Kong Section Robotics and
Automation/Control
Systems Society Executive Committee. She is also an advisor to Hon Sin
Chung Kai, Legislator for the IT Functional Constituency of the Hong
Kong Legislative Council, and is active on various government and
professional committees looking at the status of IT professionals in
Hong Kong.