STTR Phase I: Robotics Launchpad - A Design-Driven Educational Robotics Framework

这个STTR第一阶段的项目旨在将计算思维、机制设计和设计过程结合起来，为K-12学校和营地的设计驱动机器人教育创建一个新的框架。这项工作将产生一个平台，1)教授学生科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）主题，2)为他们提供设计、原型制作和编程机器的关键实践经验。通过直观的设计界面和极简主义的新颖机器人套件，使学生能够锻炼他们的创造力，提高学生创新和发明机器和机器人的能力。为了跟上不断发展的技术和社会经济需求并保持竞争力，学校和营地越来越多地采用STEM和机器人项目和产品。这个框架将填补目前教育市场上存在的空白。该项目与美国国家科学基金会支持发展强大的STEM劳动力的使命密切相关。提出的设计驱动的教育机器人框架有可能满足这些需求，提高公众的科学素养和对科学技术的参与，并对美国教育机器人市场产生积极影响，预计到2021年将增长到27亿美元。拟议的研究旨在开发一种新颖的设计驱动的教育机器人框架，包括1)模块化，可定制，并与现成的电子硬件套件兼容，该套件由刚性和柔性部件组成，用于机器人结构和机制的快速原型设计；2)用于机器人运动合成和模拟的多模态移动应用程序；3)用于设计用户定制机器人部件的基于web的CAD界面，该界面与该套件无缝接口。4)初中和高中的教材和课程。硬件将提供一套具有独特设计能力的平面部件，以支持创建机器人和结构的3D几何形状。这种新颖的结构元素将产生一种新的方法来执行几何和运动学约束，并在材料和制造工艺的选择上提供灵活性。虽然新的连接方法更加直观和简单，但它们也密切反映了工程结构在实践中的创建方式。该移动应用程序基于最新的机构综合研究，具有多模态图形用户界面，可以在构建相应的物理模型之前创建机器人组件及其运动，并在设计过程中提供必要的技能和经验。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This STTR Phase I project aims to bring together computational thinking, mechanism design, and design process to create a new framework for design-driven robotics education for K-12 schools and camps. This work would result in a platform for 1) teaching students Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) topics and 2) providing them critical hands-on experience designing, prototyping, and programming machines. By enabling students to exercise their creativity via an intuitive design interface and a minimalist novel robot kit, this project advances the students' ability to innovate and invent machines and robots. Driven by a need to keep pace with the evolving techno- and socio-economic requirements and remain competitive, schools and camps are increasingly adopting STEM and Robotics programs and products. This framework would fill that void that currently exists in the educational market. This project is closely aligned with the NSF's mandate to support development of a strong STEM workforce. The proposed design-driven educational robotics framework has the potential to fulfill these needs, improve public scientific literacy and engagement with science and technology, and positively impact the U.S. educational robotics market, which is expected to grow to $2.7 billion by 2021.The proposed research seeks to develop a novel design-driven educational robotics framework encompassing 1) a modular, customizable, and compatible with off-the shelf electronics hardware kit consisting of rigid and compliant parts for rapid prototyping of robot structures and mechanisms, 2) a multi-modal mobile app for synthesis and simulation of robot motions, 3) a web-based CAD interface for designing users' custom robot parts that interface seamlessly with the kit, and 4) instructional material and curriculum for middle and high-schools. The hardware would provide a suite of planar parts with unique design capabilities to support creation of 3D geometry of robots and structures. The novel structural elements would give rise to a new method of enforcing geometric and kinematic constraints and provide flexibility in choice of material and manufacturing process. While the new connection methods are much more intuitive and simpler, they also closely mirror the way engineered structures are created in practice. The mobile app based on the latest mechanism synthesis research imbued with a multi-modal graphical user interface will allow creation of robot assemblies and their motions before constructing their corresponding physical models and provide necessary skills and experience in the design process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.