Developed in the lab of Yale's Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, NASA-inspired robotic skins enable users to turn soft objects - a stuffed animal or a foam tube, for instance - into robots.
Developing the technology-enabled workforce has topped the discussion agenda for thought leaders in business, politics and policy. Now, that discussion is rapidly moving to the K-12 education system, where the next generation must prepare for a world in which advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will be the norm and not the novelty.
It is no surprise that looming tariffs have impacted global markets. The U.S. imposed tariffs on a number of foreign goods, and the rest of the world responded. The markets, bearing the potential for a trade war, have volleyed based off this news, and several sectors could face potential losses. Not all industries, however, face negative futures as a result of these tariffs. Some are set to thrive.
The goal of STEM Education Works' curriculum is to expose students to industry-relevant technical skills at a younger age, Strimel said. These types of skills are currently only introduced in high-school elective classes, he said, but by applying academic standards such as Next Generation Science Standards, the curriculum can be a foundation in core STEM classes to introduce these skills in middle school.
Kids love to build things. Kids also love robots. That’s why Robothink, a Chicago-based company launched in 2016 by Danny Park, was created to educate kids in STEM through building and coding robots. The company's goal is to lay the foundation for kids to pursue careers in STEM-based occupations.
June 26, 2018 - Today, the Barbie® brand launches Robotics Engineer Barbie, a doll designed to pique girls' interest in STEM and shine a light on an underrepresented career field for women. This new doll joins a lineup of more than 200 careers held by Barbie, all of which reinforce the brand's purpose to inspire the limitless potential in every girl.
When FIRST originally launched 30 years ago as an afterschool robotics activity for high schoolers, the STEM movement was a nascent affair and such concepts as “makerspaces” and “hands-on experiential learning” had yet to take root. But as these movements found traction, FIRST has been there to add even more wind to the sails, using focused short-term robotics competitions and electrifying national championships to capture both the imaginations of K-12 students and the interests of instructors.
Perhaps the greatest outrage in modern robotics is the continued non-existence of the robot housekeeper. Is it really so much to ask for a robot that sweeps and mops and brings you pills on platters, like Rosie from The Jetsons? Actually, it kind of is a lot to ask...
Over the next few years, the Pentagon is poised to spend almost $1 billion for a range of robots designed to complement combat troops. Beyond scouting and explosives disposal, these new machines will sniff out hazardous chemicals or other agents, perform complex reconnaissance and even carry a soldier’s gear.
Paul Daugherty, an executive from Accenture who attended the summit, said they addressed concerned about robots replacing humans in the workplace. “The fear that we have is in the short and medium term, there will be displacement as certain jobs are automated by artificial intelligence,” he said. However, the real issue, he said, is not the lack of jobs but the fact that there is a very large skills gap.