THE RISE OF ROBOTS
Students should not be afraid of technology. Educational robotics can be used to enhance their learning.
Due to the constant stream of advancements being made in the field of robotics, we’re fast becoming comfortable with the idea of robots in our day-to-day lives. Think of complex medical procedures made simple and the bots that help us finish our daily chores such as vacuuming, washing dishes or enjoying a hot cup of coffee. That’s not all. Once you apply the concept of robotics to education, you can change the way students learn. Elias, a social robot, is teaching Finnish children from the town of Tampere in Finland the nuances of language. It teaches the fundamentals of Finnish, German and English and can help the students master up to 23 different languages. The students have taken a shine to Elias and do not feel
embarrassed about asking questions, which was the main motive behind introducing the robot as the language teacher in the school.
You’d be surprised to know that robots are helping children with special needs to become comfortable in challenging situations. Robota, which uses computer vision and sentiment analysis to identify students who appear to be distressed, puts them at ease by approaching them and asking the reasons behind their distress. This is the future. Here are three do-it-yourself (DIY) robotic kits, the science behind them and how they can help the students.
STANDING TALL
Pictured above is a shot of a vertical-shaped car, which has been
created by connecting two drive motors to the heart block placed in a vertical position. Attach the two wheels to the drive motors and connect the face module with the heart block. Connect Avishkaar Tweak with TweakGo app.
By designing this vertical car students will be able to augment their fine motor skills and also learn about applications of the law of motion. As they come to grips with different types of motion, they can also clear up their basics about the law of friction, start coding and programme Tweak by writing scripts to change its movement, expression, and the lights engraved on the heart block.
ON A STRONG FOOTING
One of the innumerable designs which Avishkaar Tweak can be moulded into is this DIY model of a wide-shaped car (right above), which can be made by snapping together two drive motors, wheels, a caster wheel and face module with the heart block. After you’re finished with your design, you have to connect Tweak with TweakGo app, and you’re good to go. Through this, children can learn the concepts of different types of motion— backwards and forwards, clockwise and anticlockwise. The drive motors can be programmed to follow a custom script and help students get their first brush with coding. Through the movement of motors, they can learn about the concept of friction, enhance their hand-eye coordination, their sense of balance, and improve their fine motor skills.
NERVES OF STEEL
This mechanical robot goes by the name of Walnut Crusher (right). Don’t be deceived though by the table tennis ball kept in the holding place waiting to be crushed. The bot has been made by using metal plates of differing sizes, gears, metal shafts and a control unit besides assorted nuts and bolts. Now let’s get to the mechanics of it. This is a high torque mechanism-based robot wherein you can either increase or lower the torque through a gear system or pulley mechanism. In building the bot, a complex gear system has been applied to transform the circular motion into linear motion to increase the torque level. Students get to learn the concept of increasing torque with the help of gears and also about the press handle mechanism applying their problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills. They also brush up their concepts of torque along with learning how to create a design that can efficiently generate enough force to crush a walnut. The author is the Founder and CEO of Avishkaar, a robot manufacturing company