NASA hosted and Peer-Reviewed Robotics lesson plans and other project-based learning curricular materials. The RCC has a mission to connect teachers everywhere with high-quality, peer-reviewed robotics curricula. "Goal: Our pri  ... more

NASA hosted and Peer-Reviewed Robotics lesson plans and other project-based learning curricular materials. The RCC has a mission to connect teachers everywhere with high-quality, peer-reviewed robotics curricula. "Goal: Our primary goal is to offer to educators an online collection of featured robotics curricula ranging from full courses to single lesson plans that can be readily incorporated into classroom activities. # Objectives: Support lifelong learning and career pursuits relating to robotics # Inspire interest and excellence in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) # Support preparation for participation in robotics educational programs and competitive events."   less

Digital video from the Futures Channel. Synopsis: "Robotics engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center design, build and test robots used for missions in space that are too dangerous or impossible for humans. It can take years of t  ... more

Digital video from the Futures Channel. Synopsis: "Robotics engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center design, build and test robots used for missions in space that are too dangerous or impossible for humans. It can take years of testing to ensure that the robots that are sent to the Moon and Mars will be reliable." Running time 5:35 minutes.   less

The site grew out a high school initiative to * market a curriculum to state Departments of Education and other educational institutions to experience the development of a program of self-sustainability to further STEM educati  ... more

The site grew out a high school initiative to * market a curriculum to state Departments of Education and other educational institutions to experience the development of a program of self-sustainability to further STEM education while including industry, community, and individual partners. One goal is the further development of curriculum including pre- and post-assessments utilized in the self-sustainabilty initiative. Another goal is conitnued development of assessment techniques as program innitiative expands.   less

Teaching and research website for lab. Site includes links to related courses, projects, publications, robots and sponsors.  ... more

Teaching and research website for lab. Site includes links to related courses, projects, publications, robots and sponsors.   less

Phil Malone's "PhilBot" robotics site. Short introduction with a good set of links and interesting examples. "I've been writing software for about 30 years, and 15 years of that has been for underwater robots. I like robots becaus  ... more

Phil Malone's "PhilBot" robotics site. Short introduction with a good set of links and interesting examples. "I've been writing software for about 30 years, and 15 years of that has been for underwater robots. I like robots because they don't just sit on your desk and look at you, they actually do something physical. They swim, crawl, roll or fly. I've personally programmed robots that go down 20,000 feet to the ocean floor to bring back pieces of crashed aircraft and rockets. I worked on a robot that flew like an underwater airplane, towed behind a small boat looking for mines. One robot I worked on crawled like a huge plow on the sea floor burying fiber optic cables between two continents. I've even been on a Titanic Expedition, and watched live video coming up from the ocean floor."   less

Digital video from the Futures Channel. Synopsis: "What do you do if you're building a space station and happen to let go of a $250,000 tool that you had forgotten to tie down? Somebody is going to need to take a spacewalk to ret  ... more

Digital video from the Futures Channel. Synopsis: "What do you do if you're building a space station and happen to let go of a $250,000 tool that you had forgotten to tie down? Somebody is going to need to take a spacewalk to retrieve it. If you're lucky, you can give that dangerous task to "Arnie"--the robot." Running time 2:36 minutes.   less

This paper presents a concept of the Machine Control discipline developed through past decade as part of the technological education reform in Israel. The discipline has been widely implemented in senior high schools and has the s  ... more

This paper presents a concept of the Machine Control discipline developed through past decade as part of the technological education reform in Israel. The discipline has been widely implemented in senior high schools and has the status of an optional matriculation subject. Principles, contents, experience, evaluation and challenges of the curriculum are discussed. Specific features of the discipline in rural, technological and general school environments are presented and illustrated by examples. Arguments in support of a cross-national comparison of specific technology programs are given.   less

This paper examines learning through designing robots in the framework of high school graduation projects. The learning population included eleventh and twelfth graders, who performed projects and participated in the fire-fighting  ... more

This paper examines learning through designing robots in the framework of high school graduation projects. The learning population included eleventh and twelfth graders, who performed projects and participated in the fire-fighting robot contest. The field research data throughout the projects were gathered from the teams? portfolios, the teacher?s logbook, ethnographic observations of the teamwork, personal interviews, achievement tests, and contest surveys. The study indicated that the students went through all the stages of the interdisciplinary design (from the project idea to making and operating the robot). They made significant progress in a number of engineering subjects, and acquired certain technological and teamwork skills. The effect of team organization on student?s learning activities and achievements in the project was found and analyzed. The study showed that a detailed analysis of tasks, learning objectives and student behavior was crucial for effective guidance and authentic assessment of the graduation projects.   less

"The Palm Pilot Robot Kit is a design for an easy-to-build, fully autonomous robot controlled by a Palm handheld computer. This design was created by two Carnegie Mellon Robotics Insitute research groups, the Toy Robots Initia  ... more

"The Palm Pilot Robot Kit is a design for an easy-to-build, fully autonomous robot controlled by a Palm handheld computer. This design was created by two Carnegie Mellon Robotics Insitute research groups, the Toy Robots Initiative and the Manipulation Lab , with the intent of enabling just about anyone to start building and programming mobile robots at a modest cost." One can download the "beginners guide" and related necessary libraries on the software page. There is also a physics educational site.   less

This paper examines the experiential learning processes related to robot design projects among teams and individuals competing in the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest  ... more

This paper examines the experiential learning processes related to robot design projects among teams and individuals competing in the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest   less