Despite being stereotyped as “nerdy” by many, robotics is a rewarding extracurricular that can be beneficial to anyone. Robotics is a program centralized around STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Today, many schools will have a robotics program, most of which are run by either VEX or FIRST. All of these programs are centralized around a team working together to build a robot to the best of their ability to score as many points as possible. All the while, participants also learn teamwork and technical skills that can be applied to the real world. I have been a part of VEX Robotics Competition for three years, and prior to that participated in FIRST Lego League for five years. Throughout this essay, I will mainly focus on VEX Robotics Competition, as that is the program that I am currently a part of. STEM and robotics programs in schools must become more available and receive more time and attention because they help train students for engineering fields which are steadily growing, assist students in being accepted into colleges, and transform lessons in school into practical, real-world skills. To begin, engineering fields have shown consistent growth, so it is important that students are prepared for pursuing these fields. Experience early on with practical skills in a robotics club setting can give students an edge if they choose to go into engineering. For this reason, it is important that robotics be available to as many students as
Unbeknownst to most people, technology has been around much longer than we expect and the rate of these innovations actually coming to grips with the community is a slow one. While many scientists and engineers may be in the lab as we speak creating a robot, we
Imagine a future with zero car accidents and taking a nap while going down the road. Imagine a future where there are no drivers, only passengers. And not just that, but imagine not worrying about having accidents or high insurance payments. With driverless vehicles, car accidents will drastically diminish and insurance rates will decrease, meaning they could have a better impact on the economy. Driverless vehicles will benefit society given that they will reduce accidents, can improve traffic flow by enhancing its efficiency, and protect the environment from harmful fuel emissions.
Hence, in 2012, I was part of the small group of students that founded the first robotics club in school. We constantly challenged each other and enrolled in multiple competitions. In the club´s first three years, we were determined to not surrender and learn from our failures to achieve success. Despite initially struggling to work together, costing us one competition, we learned how to complement each other’s strengths and become Guatemala´s best robotics team, placing in the top 3 in all competitions. In our last competition as a team, we won the Latin American championship in the VEX robotics category.
“Our phones are not accessories, but psychologically potent devices that change not just what we do but who we are.” (Turkle 2015). As the technology era is on the rise, the face-to-face talking era is on the decline. Technology now days is being used in our every day lives. Just like everything technology absolutely has pros and cons but do the cons out weigh the pros? As stated in the article: “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.” written by Sherry Turkle, she lays out how technology is affecting the people in the society. Today’s technology comes with consequences: leading us to be vulnerable, unaware and shallow.
Through the Naval Academy’s elite engineering degree program along with my interest in drones and Robotics Engineering, I feel I will advance my skills to my best ability in these fields. Furthermore, the leadership program of the Naval Academy
I will forever owe a great debt of gratitude to my 5th grade science and math teacher, Mrs. Donna Lindley, for introducing me to the STEM world. Mrs. Lindley is a truly exceptional teacher who somehow managed to stimulated a desire for learning in the mind of a 10 year old boy who's primary goal in life was to pre-order the upcoming version of "Pokemon" to play on his Gameboy. Mrs. Lindley organized and supervised the St. Thomas Episcopal Grammar School's robotics team and made sure my older brother and I were involved with this extracurricular program. I began to build robots with Mrs. Lindley in the "Junior FIRST Lego League" (Jr. FLL) where small, computer programmable, robots were re-designed each year to accomplish new and different tasks.
An aspect of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) organization, is that the teams must contribute to their community. The team has spread FIRST to all of the major middle schools and afterschool programs in the district. This wide range of service has allowed me to help the children in the community and the students on the Choctaw High School Robotics Team. I have been capable of teaching the students new ways of building their robots and helping them through their programs. FIRST embodies the vision of community rather than just competing with robots. The organization wants us to spread Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to anyone who wants to listen, and robotics has allowed me to help as well.
As a child, my favorite movie was Robots. It seems an odd choice—I otherwise conformed to stereotypical “girl” things—but the emphasis on mechanics and the central slogan of the film: See a need, fill a need, resonated with me. Eleven years later, I have come to embrace both the science and the motto fully. Thanks to Penn’s unique dedication to academics and service, and its location in my beloved hometown of Philadelphia, it tops my list.
The words spoken by William Pollard in 1828 continue to hold truth and meaning for FRC Team 3324. His sentament can be seen through our work as a team, in our school, and in the community. For example, the methods of the past may not apply today, therefore, the Metrobots have embraced and spread the innovation taught by FIRST to their community and beyond. This is demonstrated through contemporary learning in a world where technology is ever-advancing.... To this team, success is defined through positive actions both on and off the field that impact our school and the community. We accomplish this by helping those in need and incorporating STEM into the everyday lives of those they encounter, such as FLL, fundraisers, and volunteering.
On my visit to the Dunwoody campus, I could not wait to look around. I've been attending the Math and Science Academy for seven years. Even before my sixth grade year, I have always enjoyed constructing things, playing with building blocks, and making little robots. On the night of my sixth grade orientation, I visited my school to be and was surprised when I walked in the front door. I was greeted by an eight foot tall robot made by high school students. They were part of the program called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). I
Look around. Everyone has their faces buried into their phones, laptops, iPads, etc. Many people would say that technology is taking over in our everyday lives. I, however, beg to differ. Technology is one of the best things the human race could get their hands on. Yes it seems like everything is in “the Cloud” or everyone is tweeting, reposting, Snapchatting, and liking everything. But how I see it is, a way for people to communicate and share ideas they have with other like-minded people, accomplish papers and essays without having to go to a library because whatever device you use, has a search engine that can search any question you have. As an aspiring computer programmer, technology will always play a role in my career because someone is responsible for the software and programs that allow a computer to run, the world around us is always adapting, and without technology, where would computer programmers be? If I received the Evolve IP Cloud Scholarship, then the scholarship would be able to open so many doors for me because I would be able to afford continuing my education.
Lately there have been more and more smart machines that have been taking over regular human tasks but as it grows the bigger picture is that robots will take over a lot of tasks now done by people. But, many people think that there are important ethical and moral issues that have to be dealt with this. Sooner or later there is going to be a robot that will interact in a humane manner but there are many questions to be asked like; how will they interact with us? Do we really want machines that are independent, self-directed, and has affect and emotion? I think we do, because they can provide many benefits. Obviously, as with all technologies, there are dangers as well. We need to ensure that people always
Today, technology allows us to check the weather without lifting a finger from bed by simply saying, “Hey Siri, how’s the weather looking?” When we step into our car and open Spotify, a new, personalized playlist is already curated for the morning commute. When we finally get to school or work and open Facebook, a perfect news feed that contains eye-grabbing information is waiting to be explored. These services are incredibly convenient and helpful, but we must pause for a minute to consider the consequences.
These robots are known as the ICub, and excel at interacting with the human population safely. One of these robots, known as Molly, exists in Bristol, England (Honigsbaum). This small combination of metals, wires, and computer components actually helps the elderly with simple tasks that they would ordinarily need help with. In addition to helping the elderly, the ICub can also help clean the work space of individuals. Simon, an upper-body humanoid, assists in moving a variety of items and cleaning workspaces. This robot was developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and statistics state that, “Simon could tell with close to 80% accuracy whether someone was paying attention or ignoring him.” This proves that it is indeed possible to create helpful machines that can also interact with humans through the regulation and extra development of artificial intelligences. All of the activities that the ICub Robots partake in are completely beneficial to the global society and will have a large impact on the culture of the world as a whole. An added plus to the push for technological development is that countries can use these advancements as a way to better the future of their state. These nations can accomplish this through the integration of robotic aids into their school systems. An instance in which this concept is used occurs in the Connecticut school system. Through Project D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R middle school students
If you think robots are the kind of thing you hear about in science-fiction movies, think again. Right now, all over the world, robots are performing thousands of tasks. They are probing our solar system for signs of life, building cars at the General Motors plants, assembling Oreo cookies for Nabisco and defusing bombs for the SWAT team. As they grow tougher, more mobile, and more intelligent, today’s robots are doing more and more of the things that humans can’t or don’t want to do and in many cases taking away the need for human labor.