NRI: Instructional Materials for Soft Co-Robot Design to Improve Motivation and Learning in STEM Classrooms

这项由哈佛大学Wyss生物启发工程研究所工程与应用科学学院开展的国家机器人计划（NRI）项目将开发一套教学材料和相关的设计竞赛，重点是设计软、协作机器人设备，并通过大规模数据收集的在线工具评估它们对学生对工程和科学学科的态度和理解的影响。机器人入门教学和推广通常侧重于基于任务的应用，在这些应用中，机器人与人类隔离，而不是与人类密切合作。将软机器人技术与涉及人类互动的应用以及以社会和人为中心的应用相结合，有望吸引更多不同人群学习STEM（科学、技术、数学和工程）学科。拟议的研究结合了大量的机械设计组成部分，目的是吸引对这一主题感兴趣的学生，这些学生没有受到通常强调机器人设计的软件和电子方面的教育和推广计划的服务。本项目将使学习者接触到在机器人设计入门经验中通常被忽视的主题，如材料选择和制造，并鼓励具有更广泛兴趣和能力的学生参与。为了评估拟议的教学材料和设计竞赛的影响，这项研究将重点放在数据收集和评估工具上，通过借鉴评估方面的最佳实践，并将文献中开发、测试和验证的工具整合到一个在线平台上，与教育工作者和研究人员公开共享。本研究将有助于更好地理解影响高中生和本科生追求STEM职业动机的因素，特别是应用领域对学生科学技术感知的影响。一套数据收集和评估工具的汇编将产生一个平台，用于量化本研究的影响，以及机器人教育和推广的其他方法。

This National Robotics Initiative (NRI) project conducted at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University will develop a set of instructional materials and related design competitions focused on the design of soft, co-robotic devices, and to evaluate their impact upon students' attitudes towards and understanding of engineering and science subjects through online instruments for large-scale data collection. Introductory robotics teaching and outreach typically focuses on task-based applications in which robots are isolated from humans, rather than closely cooperating with them. Combining soft robotic technology with applications involving human interaction and the use of social and people-centric applications is expected to attract a more diverse population to the study of STEM (science, technology, mathematics, and engineering) subjects. The proposed research incorporates a substantial mechanical design component with the aim of engaging students interested in this topic, who are not served by education and outreach programs that typically emphasize the software and electronic aspects of robotics design. This project will expose learners to subjects typically neglected in introductory robotic design experiences, such as material selection and manufacturing, and encourage participation by students with a broader range of interests and aptitudes. To evaluate the impact of the proposed instructional materials and design competitions, this research will include an emphasis on instruments for data collection and evaluation by drawing on best practice in evaluation and combining tools that have been developed, tested, and validated in the literature into a single online platform that will be shared publicly with educators and researchers. The proposed research will contribute to an improved understanding of the factors influencing high school and undergraduate students' motivation to pursue STEM careers, and in particular the influence of application areas on students' perception of science and technology. The compilation of a set of data collection and evaluation instruments will result in a platform for quantifying the impact of this research as well as other approaches to robotics education and outreach.