Have these youngsters got the X-factor?

That is what they came to find out at Begbroke Science Park, near Oxford, on Thursday.

They were taking part in the Innovation Showcase, which gives schoolchildren the chance to show off their ideas in front of a panel of judges.

Catherine Lane, 14, from Kingham Hill School – pictured with Isiah Rudkin, 14, from Banbury School – said: “It was really interesting. We saw a futuristic car that was going to be able to control itself and I got to go in it, which was amazing.

“Our idea was a mind-controlled robot and we actually won the competition.

“We thought we could sell them to the armies just in case they needed to go into inaccessible places. I am really into science – it is my favourite subject.”

The event was part of Oxfordshire Science Festival, which runs until Sunday, March 18.

For more information, visit oxfordshiresciencefestival.co.uk