Teaching overview
Learning points
- Robots are machines that can be programmed to carry out lots of complex tasks automatically.
- "Artificial intelligence" is when robots communicate with humans so well that it seems they can think for themselves.
- Robots can be used for medical purposes, such as for prosthetics (false limbs).
Curriculum keywords
- STEM
- Engineering
- Electricity
5 things you didn't know
Car parts to cat food
1. A robot is a machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a series of actions automatically – from making car parts to dispensing cat food!
"Forced labor"
2. The word “robot” comes from the Czech for “forced labor”.
Artificial intelligence
3. Some robots use artificial intelligence – this means they have been programmed to respond to humans in such a way that it can seem as though the robot is able to think.
Too human?
4. The “uncanny valley effect” is when a person becomes uneasy while looking at a robot with very realistic, human-like behaviour and appearance.
Robot arm
5. Robots can be connected directly to a person – one US company has made a robotic arm for a man who is able to control it with his mind!
Spark a discussion
- What is a robot?
- Can robots ever understand human speech?
- What can we use robots for?
Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS
Immersive Investigations with High-Quality Multimedia
- Investigating, designing, building, and understanding phenomena
- Hands-on, digital, video, and print investigations
- Synchronous/asynchronous distance learning