AUTOMATION taking over the world may be a fear for some, but a first-year Scottish university student has become an online sensation offering expert advice on DIY robotics and computer programming.

Matt Timmons-Brown has built up a massive following on his YouTube channel showing people how to create practical and fun projects on affordable, credit card-sized devices called Raspberry Pi, which were launched in 2012. Dubbed the Raspberry Pi Guy, the University of Edinburgh student, one of the first to own the device, has published his first book – Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi – which guides readers through the process of building a robot.

Timmons-Brown, who is studying in the university’s Schools of Engineering and Informatics, became interested in computing and electronics after buying his Raspberry Pi.

He set up a YouTube channel soon after to share his progress and create tutorials to help inspire others to learn about coding, circuits and robots. His page has become the world’s most popular YouTube channel about the Raspberry Pi, and has around 66,000 subscribers.

Timmons-Brown said: “I wanted to create the ultimate beginners guide to this exciting field – one that I would have liked to have read when I was just starting.

“I’m in my second semester at Edinburgh and enjoying every moment.

“I quickly realised that it was the place for me.”