SBIR Phase I: HanCraft-based Hand Gesture Controlled Robotic Toy Platform for Gender Neutral STEM Learning

这个SBIR第一阶段项目建议开发和测试一个新的基于工艺的手势控制机器人玩具平台和附带的游戏场景，以吸引来自STEM物理和工程设计相关领域的中学生，特别是女孩。根据NAEP 2009年的数据，只有一小部分学生——34%的四年级学生、30%的八年级学生和21%的12年级学生在科学方面达到或超过熟练水平。科学与工程指标显示，不到40%的学生在高中学习过一些物理，不到10%的学生学习过工程。这对美国的全球竞争力构成了严峻挑战。虽然机器人技术在STEM教育中很有效，但它在男孩中最受欢迎。然而，手工艺和电子纺织品社区往往吸引女孩。这个提议的创新允许孩子们用手工材料制作定制的机器人部件，轻松组装并使用手势控制它们。该项目旨在开发和测试一个网络物理“基于工艺”的手势控制机器人玩具平台，用于STEM学习，该平台是性别中立的。它结合了手工制作、电子、机器人、手势界面和互动游戏场景，使中学生和高中生能够学习STEM。孩子们可以使用这个工具包，用日常用品作为材料，用手势来玩他们想象中的任何玩具。该项目的第一阶段侧重于(1)开发新的设计能力，以实现工具包的游戏价值(2)创建概念验证游戏/游戏场景，以及(3)进行初步测试，以展示工具包提供的性别中立、学习、参与和游戏价值。

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop and test a new craft-based hand gesture controlled robotic toy platform and accompanying game scenarios to engage students, in particular girls, from middle and high schools in STEM cognate fields of physics and engineering design. According to NAEP 2009 data, only a small percentage of the students - 34% of 4th graders, 30% of 8th graders, and 21% of 12th graders performed at or above the proficient level in science. Science and Engineering Indicators show that less than 40% of students have taken some physics and less than 10% have taken engineering in high school. This poses a serious challenge to the global competitiveness of US. While Robotics can be effective in STEM education it is mostly popular among boys. However crafting and electronic textile communities tend to attract girls. This proposed innovation allows kids to create custom robotic parts out of craft material, easily assemble them and control them using hand gestures. This project aims to develop and test a cyber-physical 'craft-based' hand gesture controlled robotic toy platform for STEM learning that is gender neutral. It combines handcrafting/making, electronics, robotics, gesture interfaces and interactive gaming scenarios to enable middle and high school students to learn STEM. Kids can use the kit to make any toy of their imagination using everyday objects as material and play with them using hand gestures. Phase I of this project focuses on (1) developing new design capabilities for the play value with the kit (2) create proof-of-concept play/game scenarios and (3) conduct preliminary testing to demonstrate gender neutrality, learning, engagement and play-value the kit offers.