Today, robotics classes are becoming very popular. Such lessons help schoolchildren form and develop critical thinking, learn to be creative in the process of solving problems of various difficulty levels, and also to gain teamwork skills.
New generation
Modern education is moving to a new round of its development. Many teachers and parents are looking for an opportunity to interest children in science, instill a love of learning and charge them with a desire to create and think extraordinary. Traditional forms of presentation of the material have long lost their relevance. The new generation is not like its ancestors. They want to learn lively, interestingly, interactively. This generation is easily oriented in modern technologies. Children want to develop in such a way that they not only keep up with the rapidly developing technologies, but also directly participate in this process.
Many of them are interested in: “What is robotics? Where can this be learned? ”
Education and Robots
This discipline includes subjects such as design, programming, algorithms, mathematics, physics and other disciplines related to engineering. The World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) is held annually. In the educational field, this is a mass competition that allows you to better learn what robotics is for those who first encounter a similar subject. It provides an opportunity to try their strength to participants from more than 50 countries. About 20 thousand teams come to the competition, which include children from 7 to 18 years old.
The main goal of WRO: the development and popularization of NTT (scientific and technical creativity) and robotics in youth and children. Such Olympiads are a modern educational tool of the 21st century.
New opportunities
In order for children to better understand what robotics is, the competitions apply theoretical and practical skills acquired in the classroom as part of club work and the school curriculum for the study of natural sciences and exact sciences. The enthusiasm for robotics discipline gradually develops into a desire to learn more deeply in such sciences as mathematics, physics, computer science and technology.
WRO is a unique opportunity for its participants and observers not only to learn deeper what robotics is, but also to develop the skills of creativity and critical thinking that are so necessary in the 21st century.
Training
Interest in the educational discipline of the robotic direction is growing every day. The material base is constantly improving and developing, many ideas that have recently remained a dream - today is reality. The study of the subject "Fundamentals of Robotics" has become possible for a large number of children. In the lessons, children learn to solve problems with limited resources, process and assimilate information, and also use it in the right direction.
Children learn easily. The modern younger generation, brought up on various gadgets, as a rule, does not have difficulties in mastering the discipline "Fundamentals of Robotics", provided that there is a desire and craving for new knowledge.
It is necessary to state the fact that even adults are more difficult to retrain than to teach clean, but thirsty children's minds. A positive trend is the tremendous attention to the popularization of robotics in the youth environment by the Russian government. And this is understandable, since the task of modernizing engineering education and attracting young specialists is a matter of competitiveness of the state in the international arena.
The importance of the subject
Today, the relevant issue of the Ministry of Education is the introduction of educational robotics in the circle of school disciplines. It is considered an important area of development. In technology lessons, children should receive ideas about the modern field of development of technology and design, which give them the opportunity to invent and build themselves. It is not necessary for all students to become engineers, but everyone should have the opportunity.
In general, robotics lessons are extremely interesting for children. This is important to understand for everyone - both teachers and parents. Such classes provide an opportunity to see other disciplines in a different light, to understand the meaning of their study. But it is precisely the meaning, the understanding of why this is necessary, that drives the minds of the children. His absence negates all the efforts of teachers and parents.
An important factor is that learning robotics is a non-stressful and completely absorbing process for children. This is not only the development of the student’s personality, but also the opportunity to leave the street, adverse conditions, idle pastime and the consequences that result.
Origin
The very name of robotics comes from the corresponding English robotics. This is an applied science that develops technical automated systems. In production, it is one of the main technical foundations of intensification.
All laws of robotics, like science itself, are closely related to electronics, mechanics, telemechanics, mechatronics, computer science, radio engineering, and electrical engineering. Robotics itself is divided into industrial, construction, medical, space, military, underwater, aviation and household.
The concept of "robotics" was first used in its stories by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was in 1941 (the story "Liar").
The word "robot" was coined in 1920 by Czech writers Karel Čapek and his brother Josef. It was included in the sci-fi play Rossum Universal Robots, which was staged in 1921 and enjoyed great audience success. Today, one can observe how the line outlined in the play was widely developed in the light of sci-fi cinematography. The essence of the plot: the owner of the plant is engaged in the development and commissioning of the release of a large number of androids that can work without rest. But these robots eventually rebel against the creators.
Historical examples
It is interesting that the beginnings of robotics appeared in ancient times. This is evidenced by the remains of moving statues, which were made in the 1st century BC. Homer wrote in the Iliad about handmaidens made of gold who can speak and think. Today, the intelligence endowed with robots is called artificial intelligence. In addition, the ancient Greek mechanical engineer Archit Tarentsky is credited with the development and creation of a mechanical flying dove. This event dates from approximately 400 BC.
There are a lot of such examples. They are well disclosed in the book of I. Makarov. and Topcheeva Yu.I. "Robotics: history and prospects." It in a popular form tells about the origins of modern robots, as well as outlines the robotics of the future and the corresponding development of human civilization.
Types of robots
At the present stage, the most important classes of general-purpose robots are mobile and manipulative.
Mobile is an automatic machine with a moving chassis and controllable drives. These robots can be walking, wheeled, tracked, crawling, floating, flying.
Manipulation is an automatic stationary or mobile machine, consisting of a manipulator with several degrees of mobility and programmed control, which performs motor and control functions in production. Such robots come in floor, portal or suspended form. They received the greatest distribution at instrument-making and machine-building industries.
Ways to move
Wheel and caterpillar robots were widely used. Moving a walking robot is not an easy task for dynamics. Such robots cannot yet have the steady motion inherent in man.
Regarding flying robots, we can say that most modern aircraft are just them, but they are controlled by pilots. At the same time, the autopilot can control the flight at all stages. Flying robots include drones (UAVs) and their subclass - cruise missiles. Such devices are lightweight and carry out dangerous missions, up to firing at the command of the operator. In addition, there are design devices capable of self-firing.
There are flying robots using movement methods that use penguins, jellyfish and stingrays. This method of movement can be seen in the robots Air Penguin, Air Ray, Air Jelly. They are manufactured by Festo. But RoboBee robots use insect flight techniques.
Among the crawling robots there are a number of developments, such as moving worms, snakes and slugs. In this case, the robot uses friction forces on a rough surface or surface curvature. Such movement is useful for narrow spaces. Such robots are needed to search for people under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Snake-like robots are capable of moving in water (such as the ACM-R5 made in Japan).
Robots moving on a vertical surface use the following approaches:
- similar to a person who is climbing a wall with ledges (Stanford Capuchin robot);
- similar to geckos equipped with vacuum suction cups (Wallbot "and Stickybot).
Among floating robots, there are many developments that move on the principle of imitation of fish. The efficiency of such movement is 80% higher than the efficiency of movement with a propeller. Such designs have a low noise level and high maneuverability. Therefore, they cause great interest among researchers of the underwater space. Such robots include models from the University of Essex - Robotic Fish and Tuna, developed by the Field Robotics Institute. They are modeled on the movement characteristic of tuna. Among robots that simulate the movement of the ramp, the development of Festo: Aqua Ray is known. And the robot, moving like a jellyfish, is Aqua Jelly from the same developer.
Mug work
Most robotics clubs focus on primary and secondary schools. But preschool children are not deprived of attention. The main role here is played by the development of creativity. Preschoolers must learn to think freely and translate their ideas into creativity. That is why classes in robotics in circles for children under 6 years old are aimed at the active use of cubes and simple designers.
The school curriculum is certainly getting complicated. It gives you the opportunity to get acquainted with various classes of robots, to try yourself in practice, to delve into science. New disciplines reveal the child’s potential for gaining professional skills and knowledge in the chosen field of engineering.
Robotic complexes
The modern development of robotics is in such a stage that it seems that a powerful breakthrough in robotics is about to happen. This is the same as with video calling and mobile gadgets. Until recently, all this seemed inaccessible to mass consumption. And today - this is ordinary, ceasing to surprise. But each exhibition of robotics shows us fantastic projects that capture the human spirit from the mere thought of their implementation in society.
In the education system, it is complex complexes of robots that allow implementing the program using project activities, among which are popular:
- Mechatronics Control Kit.
- LEGO Mindstorms.
- Festo Didactic.
- Fischertechnik.
Control
By the type of control systems are:
- biotechnical (command, copying, semi-automatic);
- automatic (software, adaptive, intelligent);
- interactive (automated, supervisor, interactive).
The main tasks of controlling robots include:
- movement and position planning;
- planning of forces and moments;
- identification of dynamic and kinematic data;
- dynamic accuracy analysis.
Of great importance in the field of robotics is the development of control methods. This is important for technical cybernetics and automatic control theory.