School students must be given the opportunity to create technologies, solutions, and prototypes/products that address important challenges to make the world, a better place. To achieve this, we must equip students with 21st Century skills that encourage them to express their creativity by applying their artistic and technology/digital skills. 

Robots and Robotics  

Robotics is the field that integrates science, engineering, and technology to develop machines called Robots. Specifically designed to do different tasks, robots can be autonomous (self-driven) or semi-autonomous (human operated).

A robot can have any form; it may look like a human, or an animal, or a machine like a car, truck, etc. It senses information through inputs from sensors or a controller. It analyses the information using a processor and acts using actuators (e.g. motors) as an output. It requires a power source (like batteries) to get input, process it and provide output.

Applications of Robots

Research Field:

Robots are important to conduct research in unknown territories. They are used under water and on other planets. 

Medical Industry:

Robots are used to assist doctors in surgeries. They are also used for lab automation and medical device packaging. 

Manufacturing Industry:  

A robot’s work is divided into three parts: material handling, processing operations, and assembly and inspection.

Military: 

In the military, robots assist in various activities. For instance, they are used to attend to the injured army personnel. 

Benefits of teaching Robotics to school students 

· Develops computational thinking

· Strengthens problem-solving skills

· Enhances creativity

· Promotes interdisciplinary learning

· Encourages participation in robotics competition

· Prepares for a technological future

Here’s how Robotics can be introduced to students in schools

Educators can teach robotics to students with the help of an advanced ICT program that provides robotics curriculum with ready-to-use content. 

Exposure to robotics at an early age increases students’ interest in STEM as they understand its real-world applications.

For instance, teachers can give students an activity where they need to build a basic robotic vehicle that can be controlled using a remote controller.

Students can use the VEX IQ Robotic kit – a pre-moulded hardware kit – to build the robotic vehicle.

Here are the steps:

1) Students gather all the required parts to build a base bot.  

2) They build a structure to connect the motor with the wheel-gear structure. This will provide movement to the bot. 

3) They connect the motor and the wheel-gear structure to the brain (processor) using connecting wires. This will control the motor based on the user input. 

4) They connect a power source to provide power to the brain and the motor.

5) They connect the controller to provide the user input to the controller. (The controller can be connected to the processor using a wire, or even wirelessly) 

6) They switch on the controller and the brain, then move the bot in any direction using a joystick.

The World Economic Forum estimates that the increased use of technology and automation is expected to displace 85 million jobs by 2025. Hence, developing digital skills in students is crucial! 

Below are some of the careers in Robotics: 

· Robotics Engineer

· Computer Scientist

· Aerospace Engineer

· Software Engineer

· Mechanical Engineer

At ICT 360, we provide advanced tech curriculum for schools – grades 1-10 – for AI, AR, VR, Coding, Media Design, App Design, Game Design, Web Design, 3D Printing, Robotics, IoT, Cloud Computing and all futuristic technologies to enable students to become Innovators, Collaborators and Problem-Solvers.

ICT 360 serves as a one stop solution for all ICT requirements of a school. With NEP aligned & STEM accredited ICT curriculum – this unique platform offers Teacher Development Trainings with Certifications, Project PPTs, Lesson Plans, Assignments, Learning Resources, Technical Support, Assessments, Reports, and LMS for students and teachers for synchronous & asynchronous learning to equip them with 21st century skills and prepare them for the tech-driven future.