CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Multimedia Robots for Computer Science Education
Dr. Illah Nourbakhsh and Tom Lauwers
Center for Innovative Robotics
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
TeRK – the Telepresence Robot Kit
• We strongly believe that robotics can be used as a tool to educate and motivate students across a wide variety of topics and ages.
• Emerging technologies are enabling us to simultaneously lower costs and increase functionality.
The Turk
A “TeRK”
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
TeRK - Capabilities
With a TeRK, you can connect:
One webcam One wireless adapter Speakers Four DC motors
Eight LEDs Eight analog sensors Sixteen servos
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
TeRK Projects
• Curricular Modules for Introduction to Computer Science
• Robot Diary
• Network Neighborhoods
• Online Community Building and Recipe Creation
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Intro to CS Curricula
• Create curricular modules for the following CS topics: Simple I/O, Flow Control, Arrays, File read/write, and Errors and exceptions
• Modules will include robot centered assignments and activities
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Robot Diary
• Currently engaged in participatory design sessions with middle school girls
• Design sessions will inform a future robot design that allows girls to express emotion and communicate with their friends through the robot
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Network Neighborhoods
• Provide high school students with environmental sensors and wireless technology to deploy environmental monitoring stations
• Students will also be tasked with creating artistic public displays to express the information that their monitoring stations collect
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Your Turn!
• Modify the sample program to cause the robot to react to certain colors
• How the robot reacts is up to you, but we suggest something obvious.
• Doing nothing is not an acceptable reaction.
CS4HS Workshop, July 23, 2006
Additional Information
Contact Tom Lauwers for questions about curricula or sample programs:
Check the TeRK website every few months – we are actively generating new recipes, software,
and curricula:
http://www.terk.ri.cmu.edu