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伴随的游戏场景，以吸引初中和高中的学生，特别是女孩，参与STEM相关的物理和工程设计领域。根据NAEP 2009年的数据，只有一小部分学生--34%的4年级学生、30%的8年级学生和21%的12年级学生的科学水平达到或超过了这一水平。科学和工程指标显示，不到40%的学生在高中时选修过一些物理，不到10%的学生选修过工程学。这对美国的全球竞争力构成了严峻的挑战。虽然机器人在STEM教育中是有效的，但它大多在男孩中很受欢迎。然而，手工艺和电子纺织社区往往会吸引女孩。这项拟议的创新允许孩子们用工艺材料制造定制的机器人部件，很容易地组装它们，并使用手势控制它们。该项目旨在开发和测试一个基于网络物理的手势控制的机器人玩具平台，用于STEM学习，它是中性的。它结合了手工制作、电子、机器人、手势界面和互动游戏场景，使初中生能够学习STEM。孩子们可以使用该工具包，以日常物品为材料，制作他们想象中的任何玩具，并通过手势与它们玩耍。该项目第一阶段的重点是(1)利用该工具包为游戏价值开发新的设计能力(2)创建概念验证游戏/游戏场景，以及(3)进行初步测试，以证明该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.