The popularity of Robocop, Transformers and many similar sci-fi movies have introduced young imaginations to trans-humans, artificial intelligence and the machine world. The growing role of robots in everything from cleaning carpets, conducting medical surgeries, working in dangerous toxic conditions to space exploration suggests a need for young and talented robotics professionals. Robotics is currently used over the world in various fields, such as manufacturing, transportation, distribution, military, security, education, medicine, space travel, and home activities.

The field of robotics has become an exciting and accessible tool for teaching and supporting science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), design principles, and problem solving. Robotics enables students to use their hands and minds to create as engineers, artists, and technicians, all at once. It allows for the instantaneous application of scientific and mathematical principals.

Robotics in education

In today’s education system with its budgetary constraints, middle and high schools are on a constant search for cost-effective and exciting ways to deliver high-impact programmes that integrate technology into multiple disciplines while preparing students for 21st century careers in all parts of the world. Educators see the advantages that robotics projects and curriculum provide by linking a cross-curriculum method with other disciplines. Additionally, robotics can provide affordability and reusability of equipment when compared to other prepackaged options.

Today more than ever, schools are adopting robotics in the classroom to revitalise curriculums and meet ever increasing academic standards required from students. Not only does robotics have a unique and broad appeal throughout various teaching fields, but it is quite possibly the technical field that will have the largest influence on our society throughout the next century.

At this moment, learning robotics with programmable microcontrollers has become easier than ever. Artists, designers, hobbyists and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments are using Arduino, an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. Many schools projects are also based on Arduino.

Arduino is perfect for electronics projects. It contains a set of input and output that can often be connected directly to components and sensors, and makes it incredibly easy to jump straight into making something. An on-board microcontroller is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). This makes it ideal for prototyping things.

Arduino is based on hardware, so without components like LEDs, LCDs, resisters, motors and sensors, one can’t go any farther. If the project is based on software, one can opt for Raspberry Pi, which is a Linux computer, whose projects are mostly based around software hacks, media centres and graphics/sound and multimedia. It can, however, do some simple hardware control with the GPIO (general purpose input/output) pins and is much stronger than the Arduino. Choosing which board you want depends on the type of project you want to make, and your experience in programming.

Nepalis in robotics

Robotics has captivated people from around the globe; even Nepali youngsters have embraced it. However, the sporadic robotic workshops held here have been insufficient to craft new opportunities for passionate youngsters. In light of this, a recent workshop was organised organised, targeting college students ready to dive into the robotics world. Starting July 24, three students—Nibesh Shrestha, Abhigya Thapa and Bikram Baidhwar Chhetri—organised an introductory autonomous robotics workshop, ‘iSensoBotz on Arduino with ROBOTC’. This workshop acted as a foundation for the National Robotics Championship 2014 at the IIT Mumbai and National Robotics Competition, to be held on November 14-15.

Much energy could be seen among youngsters, between the ages of 17-19, at the workshop. Fifty-four groups, each with five students from many colleges across the Kathmandu Valley, participated. One passionate student even came all the way from Chitwan without a group to attend the workshop. Though the short workshop began with the fundamentals of robotics, by the end day two, the students were already assembling sensor-controlled robots programmed to run over an allocated path. Each group finally gathered together to compete with the robots they had made. The task was to drive the robot along a specific track, the robot to do this fastest would be the winner. The groups positioning first, second and third in the competition will be attending the National Robotics Championship 2014 to be held at IIT Mumbai. Altogether, six groups selected during the four-day workshop will be attending the Championship in India.

Organisers Shrestha and Chhetri, pursuing their studies in India, revealed that Nepalis are battling robotic competitions worldwide despite a lack of robotics education at the high school level. Accordingly, Nepal must adapt to the fast-changing pace of computation and integrate technological shifts that will be prominent in the future, such as artificial intelligence into the national curriculum.

Dixit is an architect