Robots in STEAM: Technology — Recap from Our October Family Night
Thank you to every family who joined us in October for our free Virtual Family STEAM Night with our partners at Bridge the Gap Robotics Foundation! Whether you were with us live or are catching up now, here’s what we explored.
Missed it? Watch the full recording here.
What Is Robotics?
A robot is a machine that can sense its environment, make decisions, and take action in the real world. Building one combines electrical (circuits and power), mechanical (design and structure), and software (code and AI) engineering.
Three Technologies & Three Robots We Explored
AI & Vision: Proteus. Amazon’s warehouse robot can lift up to 900 pounds. It uses cameras and LiDAR to navigate safely around people, and workers can even give it commands in plain language.
LiDAR: ANYmal. This four-legged inspection robot uses lasers to map its surroundings (LiDAR stands for Laser Imaging, Detection, And Ranging) and goes places that aren’t safe for humans.
Sonar: Underwater ROVs. With 8 thrusters for full 360° movement, these vehicles use sound instead of light because light doesn’t travel far underwater. We also met PowerBuoy, a robot that turns ocean waves into clean electricity.
The Big Idea: a robot’s environment shapes its design. Legs instead of wheels, sound instead of lasers. It’s a great connection back to our September session!
Keep the Conversation Going at Home
Which matters most for a robot: sensors, software, mechanical design, or AI?
What do LiDAR and sonar each do, and why would a robot need one over the other?
How does the place a robot works change what it looks like?
FREE Activity Workbook
This 3-part workbook has a matching activity, a research deep dive on a robot or sensor of your choice, and a “Design Your Own Robot” challenge. You can Download the robotics workbook here and view the session slides and links here.
Want to Build Your Own Robot?
Bridge the Gap offers free STEM kits and workshops. Visit their website to explore.
Up Next: our next virtual family night is on Tuesday, November 10th at 7:00 PM.
📅 Join Us Next Month: Robots in STEAM, Part 3: Engineering
🗓️ Tuesday, November 10th | 🕖 7:00 PM | 💻 Live on Zoom | 🆓 Free
Our robotics journey continues! Next month, we'll explore the Engineering behind robots. These free sessions follow the same themes our STEAMventure Learning Labs students cover in class, and the whole family is welcome, enrolled or not.
A big thank-you to Bridge the Gap Robotics Foundation for sharing their passion for robotics with our Homeschool STEAM families!
Comments