Inspired learning through robotics

Learning to read, write and count is no longer enough for students. Today’s kids need to be thinkers and innovators, and bringing robotics technology into the classroom is a step in the right direction.

ROBOTS are an inherent part of practically everyone’s childhood.

Just look at the robot characters on TV and in the movies through the years – the Giant Robot, Doraemon and the latest craze, Transformers.

But robots need not be all play.

Robot building can be a crucial part of one’s education as it inculcates problem-solving skills, hands-on experiences and the exploration of possible solutions. And this is recognised worldwide.

For example, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has the Robotics Alliance Project to inspire students to learn maths, science and technology and ultimately join the space industry. And China is big on robotics in education as a means for competitive edge.

In Malaysia, students at some 300 schools – 150 secondary, the rest primary – are already having a taste of robot building mainly through co-curriculum activities in the Lego Education programme.

Already in its third year, the programme is about learning how to design robots for different purposes.

Students learn how everyday robots work, technological design, how to use systems thinking as they plan and implement programmes, and the techniques and tools to gather and analyse data.

As part of the activities, they do hands-on investigations in science, maths and technology and pick up the necessary skills, including planning, testing and evaluation.

The beauty of robotics in education is that it allows every child to actively take part and learn, regardless of their performance in class, says Law King Hui, managing director of Sasbadi Sdn Bhd, exclusive distributor and licensed partner of Lego Education for Malaysia.

He points out that such a programme has resulted in improvement of students’ mathematical and language skills as well as in their overall self-esteem and problem-solving capability.

Such programmes challenge students to solve problems on their own (learning by making) or by working with others. “This way, they develop skills that help them face the future better, where innovation, originality and the ability to work with others in a global context are very important,” Law explains.

So, what is the Lego Education programme all about? It is based on the Lego Mindstorms Education NXT programme for teaching robotics to students ages eight to 16-plus to help them discover science, technology, engineering and maths by building and programming robots.

“It combines the power of the Lego building system and the intelligent brick with new technologies, an intuitive programming software and curriculum-relevant materials. With this, students are able to develop creative problem-solving and teamwork skills as well as perform in traditional curriculum areas,” Law says.

But the programme is effective only if teachers are passionate about motivating students by providing them with handson techniques to develop curriculum knowledge and skills, he adds.

The Mindstorms sets, designed for groups of two or three students, come with sorting trays and an illustrated overview of all the elements. Within each set is an intelligent brick which acts as the central processing unit, along with light, sound, touch and ultrasonic sensors, three motors to enable movement and the Mindstorms Education NXT software.

With Bluetooth technology, teachers can communicate with the students’ intelligent bricks. There is a rechargeable battery, too.

The integrated Robot Educator in the software and digital curriculum activities allow for independent and interactive learning. The software is an icon-based program powered by the LabView engine; there are about 40 programmable icons.

Lego has partnered National Instruments for LabView, Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Academy to develop the curriculum in digital format for Mindstorms Education, and Tufts University’s Centre for Engineering Educational Outreach to support Lego Education in the development of the Mindstorms Education platform.

Through Lego Education, Malaysian students have reached new heights in the world of robotics.

At World Robot Olympiad 2008 in Yokohama, Japan, the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom team from Kuantan, Pahang, took the gold medal in the Open Senior High category for its invention called Skav-lised, a multipurpose robot that looks like a boat which can clean rivers and take water samples. They competed with participants from Sweden, South Korea, Japan and Singapore, among others.

“The entry has commercial potential. What I would like to see is that students who show such potential in robotics to be given coaching and perhaps grants to continue and pursue their projects at a higher level. This way, we will be producing our very own innovative technologies,” Law says.

From games to knowledge pool

COMPARED to the exam-oriented syllabus, robotics is a fun, hands-on approach to learning science and technology. Members of Universiti Tenaga Nasional’s Mobile Robotics Club discovered this, firsthand.

Founded by Koh Seng Yau (pictured above with a team mate), a mechanical engineering graduate, the club aims to develop robotics research and provide a knowledge pool for those who are interested. It has members from various engineering disciplines.

Since its setup in 2006, the club has been taking part in many competitions such as Robocon, Robofest, International Robot Olympiad and IEEE & Freescale Smart Car Competition. It also holds its annual robotics competition called Robogamez, which aims to create awareness and instil interest in robotics technology as well as become a platform for students from primary to tertiary level to be involved in the practical aspects of engineering and technology through robotics.

Robogamez, which also encourages students to explore innovation in science, has a different theme each year: Robotour de Malaysia 2006, Battle of the Sumo Robots 2007 and Quest of the Unsolved Maze 2008.

This year, the theme is Rise of the Silent Tower: Resist or Surrender.

Also, the Mobile Robotics Club, together with the Higher Education Ministry and Fighting Robot Association, United Kingdom, will organise Malaysia’s first combat robot competition. Participants need to create robots that are capable of battling inside a “war zone”.

“In the competition, the robots will be controlled wirelessly using a remote control, instead of autonomous robots like in previous years. There will be active weaponry mechanism in the combat robots,” Koh says.

The winner will represent the country at the UK Featherweight Championships next year.

Koh says interest in robotics among students has gone up. This can be seen from the rising number of teams at Robogamez, from 48 teams in 2006, to 128 teams last year.

“I hope more schools will participate in Robogamez this year. I also hope that there will be a larger turnout of public spectators at the finals so more people will be exposed to robotics,” Koh says.

Robogamez will be held from Oct 1 to 4.

More information on the event can be found at www.uniten.edu.my/go/robogamez/.