In recent years, robotics has become increasingly popular as an educational activity. At both the college and pre-college level, a growing number of schools and other educational organizations are offering opportunities for young people to build their own computer-controlled robots. In the process of designing and programming robots, students learn important engineering, math, and computer science concepts. However, a gender gap exists. Robotics tends to attract a much higher percentage of boys than girls, particularly in free-choice learning environments such as after-school programs and museum classes.
Some people get engaged with patterns and structures, while others become more involved in storytelling and drama. Robotics activities typically support the former style more than the latter. But a different sort of robotics activities could engage both styles. For example, a popular activity in many science centers is for young people to create a Rube Goldberg contraption, where each device triggers the next. As a variation, we have offered a chain reaction workshop in which participants begin with a story and then design contraptions that follow a series of events with a beginning, middle, and end.
The design of robotics technologies can greatly influence how the technologies are perceived and used. For example, the LEGO Mind storms robotics kits are well-designed for traditional robotics activities, such as making a robot that finds its way through a maze. We have been developing a new technology, called the Cricket that is designed explicitly to support artistic invention. Cricket kits include multi-color lights and sound devices that can be programmed to create animal sounds, rhythms, and musical notes. The goal of this work is to expand t h e range of what people can design, create, and learn.