October 13th marked the first day of a four-day session at Willis Jr. High in which eighteen junior high and high school students were introduced to the worlds of engineering, computer programming, design and the Internet. The students spent four days of their intersession break learning some basic robotic concepts. These concepts include robots can be identified as having a physical body, robots must have a program to control them and robots must exhibit some type of behavior. Students were also introduced to the history of robotics, input and output devices, and how robots help us everyday.

After students had a firm grasp of these concepts, we divided the students into groups of two and they set out to invent their own robots. Using the Lego RCX programmable brick and the Robolab software, students were asked to build and program four amusement park robots. These designs included a bumper car, a tour bus, a ferris wheel, and a Ghost Ride. As students set out to build their first robots, so did a few of the instructors. Many of the students found it amusing that they were able construct, program and then reprogram their inventions before some of their teachers. "This is what hands-on learning is all about," commented Willis Jr. High instructor Ramona Gonzales.

On day two, students learned how to use the Internet as a research and communication tool and conducted online research on robotics. After successfully emailingtheir instructors their findings, the students were given some quick tips on programminand then it was back to constructing. Days three and four the students designed, engineered, and programmed any type of robot they desired to make. Some students already knew from day one what they were going to do while others searched the Internet for ideas. One group of girls successfully built a robotic arm from a blueprint that they had found on the Lego Mindstorms site, attached it to their "Walking Robot." "It was incredible watching the students problem solving skills as they re-engineered or reprogrammed their robots over and over again until they got the results they were looking for," said Andrew Wasklewicz.

The finale of our four days at Willis was a party thrown for the students and parents. Each team of children presented their robotic inventions to the entire group. Students were asked to give an explanation of what they had built and programmed and then gave a demonstration of what their robot could do. The parents were then given the chance to explore with the Lego's and ask students questions.

In an e-mail received by a teacher on the final day a student remarked, "I think this program is very good because we all enjoy working with Lego's, computers and mostly with you and the other teachers." I think that says it all. Thanks Willis Jr. High for inviting us, we look forward to coming back soon.

• Students Work
• Video
• Robot Links