Abstract
Educational robotics programs have become popular in most developed countries and are becoming more and more prevalent in the developing world as well. Robotics is used to teach problem solving, programming, design, physics, math and even music and art to students at all levels of their education. This chapter provides an overview of some of the major robotics programs along with the robot platforms and the programming environments commonly used. Like robot systems used in research, there is a constant development and upgrade of hardware and software – so this chapter provides a snapshot of the technologies being used at this time. The chapter concludes with a review of the assessment strategies that can be used to determine if a particular robotics program is benefitting students in the intended ways.
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Abbreviations
- AAAI:
-
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
- ASD:
-
autism spectrum disorder
- BEST:
-
boosting engineering science and technology
- CIP:
-
Children’s Innovation Project
- DC:
-
direct current
- ECER:
-
European Conference on Educational Robotics
- FIRST:
-
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
- GCER:
-
Global Conference on Educational Robotics
- GUI:
-
graphical user interface
- HCI:
-
human–computer interaction
- I/O:
-
input/output
- ICT:
-
information and communication technology
- IDE:
-
integrated development environment
- IEEE:
-
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- IR:
-
infrared
- KIPR:
-
KISS Institute for Practical Robotics
- LED:
-
light-emitting diode
- MAZE:
-
Micro robot maze contest
- MBARI:
-
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
- ME:
-
mechanical engeneering
- MHS:
-
International Symposium on Micro Mechatronics and Human Science
- NASA:
-
National Aeronautics and Space Agency
- PC:
-
personal computer
- PVC:
-
polyvinyl chloride
- RAM:
-
random access memory
- RC:
-
radio control
- ROV:
-
remotely operated vehicle
- STEM:
-
science, technology, engineering and mathematics
- TCFFHRC:
-
Trinity College’s Firefighting Robot Contest
- USB:
-
universal serial bus
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Hampton robotics club available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/239
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Elementary robotics challenge: Soldier Creek Elementaryavailable from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/240
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Global Conference on Educational Robotics & International Botball Tournamentavailable from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/241
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Autonomous aerial vehicle carrier landing contest (2001) available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/633
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SeaPerch Challenge 2014 ’The Heist’ available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/634
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New Mexico elementary botball 2014 – Teagan’s first ever run available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/635
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Robotics summer camps – PRIA available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/636
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World robot olympiad Japan 2014 available from http://handbookofrobotics.org/view-chapter/79/videodetails/637
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Miller, D.P., Nourbakhsh, I. (2016). Robotics for Education. In: Siciliano, B., Khatib, O. (eds) Springer Handbook of Robotics. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32552-1_79
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