For kids, robots are about AI, machine learning, computer vision, human-computer interaction, and more…
Part three in a four-part series on who Misty robots are made for and why.
We’ve been at a lot of events recently, showing off Misty II. We chat with all kinds of people, ranging from business futurists and developers to makers and families. One thing that’s clear is that parents are interested in robots not just to have a robot around, but as an investment in their kids’ futures.
But kids are already building robots in clubs, classes, and FIRST competitions. They’re watching BattleBots® on YouTube. They’ve got block programming classes in elementary school and JavaScript in high school. You’d think that’d be enough.
But for many kids, that’s hardly all there is. “Building” is being quickly superseded by “making” and “CAD-ing” — using CAD software to create custom 3D designs. And tech is headed into some pretty incredible areas:
- machine learning
- neural networks and AI
- computer vision
- edge computing with IoT (the Internet of Things)
- the study of human-computer interaction
There’s a world of advanced tech developing right now, and kids today are headed straight at it. It would be nice if there were a fun, simple way for them to explore it, get comfortable with it, and grow along with it.
Turns out there is.
Misty II takes kids into their futures
Not all student robots are toys, elaborate construction sets, or longterm DIY projects. Misty II is an advanced personal robot that will take kids all the way from middle school to grad school:
They start with block programming.
Move into JavaScript and Python.
Create CAD designs and 3D print them.
Work with Arduino.
Explore computer vision, face/object recognition, and advanced mapping.
Dive deeply into human-computer interaction (without even realizing it).
And grow into learning about machine learning and neural networks.
Today, LEGO® MINDSTORMS® is most schools’ state of the art. To a STEM teen, that’s little kid stuff — they’re itching for more. More sophistication, more breadth, more capability.
Kids don’t outgrow Misty II
Parents know that kids keep growing — from middle school to graduate student. We do, too. Middle school students can control Misty with her companion app and start programming her with visual tools that require no “coding”.
Then, when they’re ready to start working with an introductory programming language, we’ve got powerful JavaScript APIs for Misty that are easy to use. We’ve designed our APIs so that any JavaScript programmer can make the robot do something meaningful in 30 minutes. Sure, kids could also apply their coding skills on a computer or mobile phone app, but those are becoming boring.
We’ve made Misty II’s hardware easy to take apart and extend. With serial and USB ports, kids can incorporate their external Raspberry Pi or Arduino projects. They can add USB devices as attachments. They can incorporate environmental sensors to increase the capability of the robot. And, yes, they can break out the CAD skills they’re learning in school and 3D print Misty some new arms or headgear.
But your kids won’t stop there, nor will Misty. Exploring cutting edge tech such as computer vision is easy. They can explore her face and object recognition abilities without even writing code, by using our API Explorer tool. And they’ll love Misty’s mapping abilities that let her autonomously create detailed 3D maps of your home.
By the way, these “fun” abilities are actually based on advanced computer vision modules, machine learning, and neural network systems, and your students — by the time they’re in late high school or college — can actually dig into these and modify them. Having the ability to work firsthand with this level of material is a big deal for kids heading toward college and the tech workforce.
At our last Robothon, I was so excited to watch one of the attendees who was, yes, a teen STEM student. He was using Misty’s face recognition capabilities for a project, but seeing his excitement as he went from team to team, looking at their work, as well — that’s inspirational for me. Like it was with prior generations and computers and cell phones, it’ll be today’s youth that really get robots. Their ideas won’t be boxed in, and neither will their robots.
At the dawn of the personal computer revolution, my dad bought me a Commodore. I loved it, and it just so happened to launch my career.
Today tech is moving forward fast. Good thing kids love robots, because they are, too.
If you want to know more about how Misty II and kids go together, check out my blog post: Six Reasons Why Misty II Is Perfect for Education.
