Content for teachers and students about robotics in our world. Is robotics the Perfect Platform for 21st Century Learning? Read on!.. Would you like your student robotics activities presented here? Leave a comment or Facebook Messenger me...
I highly recommend that you check out the MOONBOTS contest! (a variety of info. below)
Moonbots is a contest that challenges teams of students and adults to learn about robotics, the Moon, and space exploration by designing and constructing a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot that performs simulated lunar missions
WIN a LEGO MINSTORMS Robot and Even a Trip to Hawaii
"Robot Lifeguard ‘Emily’ Patrols the Beach"
"Lifeguards in California are testing a robotic lifeguard named Emily that could speed up rescues and save lives.
Once a lifeguard launches Emily in the water, the robot, which resembles a small motorboat, can speed across the water to a distressed but conscious swimmer to provide comfort until a human responder can arrive.
The critical moments Emily cuts off the time it takes to complete a rescue could save lives, said Capt. Remy Smith of the Los Angeles Fire Department Lifeguard Division..."
Video from the Nature (magazine) article that's generated so much buzz:
And the article: "Mind-controlled robot arms show promise"
"...Two people who are unable to move their limbs have been able to guide a robot arm to reach and grasp objects using only their brain activity, a paper in Nature reports today1.
The study participants — known as Cathy and Bob — had had strokes that damaged their brain stems and left them with tetraplegia and unable to speak. Neurosurgeons implanted tiny recording devices containing almost 100 hair-thin electrodes in the motor cortex of their brains, to record the neuronal signals associated with intention to move..." Read the full article at its source: http://www.nature.com/news/mind-controlled-robot-arms-show-promise-1.10652
"'Two people who are virtually paralyzed from the neck down have learned to manipulate a robotic arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach out and grab objects. One of them, a woman, was able to retrieve a bottle containing coffee and drink it from a straw — the first time she had served herself since her stroke 15 years earlier, scientists reported on Wednesday.
She had a smile on her face that I and the research team will never forget,” said Dr. Leigh R. Hochberg of the Department of Veterans Affairs, an author of a study reporting the achievement.
The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the first published demonstration that humans with severe brain injuries can effectively control a prosthetic arm, using tiny brain implants that transmit neural signals to a computer.
Scientists have predicted for years that this brain-computer connection would one day allow people with injuries to the brain and spinal cord to live more independent lives. Previously, researchers had shown that humans could learn to move a computer cursor with their thoughts, and that monkeys could manipulate a robotic arm..."
Getting Started with LEGO Robotics. Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!
