WHY? ROBOTICS WHY?


The robotics program is a multi-discipline program. It can be incorporated into every subject area. It offers the opportunity to integrate technology with the curriculum and the students love it.

The robotics program facilitates teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, applying science principals, and mathematical solutions. The program integrates reading and writing, presentation skills, research, and creativity. In a nutshell, this program prepares students for the workforce of the 21st century.

The skills learned via this program can be readily applied and transferable to work in any industry. Parents who have observed children in these environments are amazed at what these kids are experiencing. Perhaps most importantly, it engages kids at all levels.


You may think of legos as the duplos that you bought for your preschooler. These robotics tools are

How it works:

The students are given a task. The students build a mechanical robot to achieve defined functionality. These robots are often equipped with sensors to respond to their environments. These sensors include touch, light, temperature, rotation and others. The student then writes a program on their computer and downloads that program to the smaller computer located in the robot. This program determines how the robot will function and how it will react to outside stimuli. Defined tasks might start very simply and could become very complicated.

This program also includes team building. This is a skill that many adults do not have. Young children find that working in a team can be tough. This program requires that children build their team skills - an essential skill for working in the 21st century.

much more than meets the eye. While we use them in grades 3-8, the same components are used at the college level and for PHD robotics classes as well. URI has offered a robotics class this semester using the RCX kit that we use at the Jamestown school. One of the many benefits of using the lego products is that you can get a complete robotic experience without having to use a welding shop and all the other requirements to create the components.

Many have watched RoboWars on TV. The RoboWars machines are remote control. Our autonomous robots have a program loaded into them and they run autonomously!

At last year’s Robotics Park, one fifth grade class put on a marionette show. The marionettes were built of lego pieces and were manipulated by robots. The robots were located above the stage. They used various mechanical pieces and gears, which were attached to the strings that manipulated the marionettes. The production was a combination of math, science, and the arts. It was amazingly well done!