LEGO® EDUCATION SPIKE™ PRIME, a new hands-on learning approach for classrooms

Adding to the LEGO®  Education portfolio of combined physical and digital learning experiences, SPIKE Prime has been unveiled today, along with new insights on students’ confidence in learning STEAM subjects.

Billund, Denmark (April 2, 2019) – Today, LEGO® Education announced LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime, the newest product in the LEGO Education hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) learning portfolio. SPIKE Prime brings together LEGO bricks, a programmable, multi-port Hub, sensors and motors all powered by the engaging SPIKE app based on the Scratch coding language. The SPIKE app includes lessons aligned to certain standards and many being able to be completed within a 45-minute class, making it easy for teachers to take SPIKE Prime into the classroom.

SPIKE Prime is a completely new design from LEGO Education. It has been created to reach all levels of learners, to be an inclusive, intuitive and naturally adaptive physical and digital creative approach, and engage all middle schoolers in technology-enabled STEAM learning with confidence. According to results from a new Confidence in Learning Poll, fielded by Harris Insights & Analytics and released today, hands-on learning builds confidence. Eighty seven percent of students say they learn and remember topics more when the learning involved hands-on projects, and 93 percent of parents say hands-on learning helps children retain knowledge for the future. Additionally, while the importance of hands-on learning is clear, only 40 percent of teachers say their students usually or always get substantial time during the school day for hands-on lessons.

When it comes to STEAM learning specifically, teachers and parents agree that the number one way their students can build confidence in STEAM subjects is working on a hands-on project with others. The poll showed students who are confident in STEAM are more likely to be confident at school overall and enjoy learning new things. The entire LEGO Education portfolio, now including SPIKE Prime, was specifically designed to get students hands-on with lessons that challenge them to think critically and creatively, to problem solve and to communicate effectively with others.

To help build students’ confidence in learning and to support teachers who are interested in incorporating more STEAM learning into their classrooms, LEGO Education is providing a Confidence in Learning toolkit and workshops to schools around the world with its continuum of hands-on learning products, including SPIKE Prime. LEGO Education learning experts will help teachers incorporate hands-on STEAM learning into the classroom to engage all students and promote building their confidence in learning.    

Esben Stærk Jørgensen, president of LEGO Education, said: “We are seeing a challenge globally in middle school children, typically aged 11-14. At that age, children start losing their confidence in learning. The Confidence Poll data shows that most students say if they failed at something once, they don’t want to try again. With SPIKE Prime and the lessons featured in the SPIKE app, these children will be inspired to experiment with different solutions, try new things and ultimately become more confident learners. And for teachers, time is the ultimate barrier. The lesson plans, resources and models make it so easy for teachers to integrate SPIKE Prime into the classroom.”

“Our mission at LEGO Education is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, enabling every student to succeed – and that’s exactly what SPIKE Prime offers,” added Jørgensen.

SPIKE Prime joins the nearly 40 years of LEGO Education’s legacy of product development by an international team of designers, dedicated educators and leading technology experts. Each SPIKE Prime set has 523 pieces which can be used to build many different creations including corresponding STEAM lesson plans that were created by and for educators to help them bring more hands-on STEAM learning into their curriculum and get students more engaged and excited about STEAM subjects.

LEGO Education and the LEGO Group have also created 11 new innovative elements for the LEGO System in Play, which will be first seen with SPIKE Prime. These new elements include an innovative integrator brick, which allows for building together with both the LEGO Technic and the LEGO system platforms, further expanding systematic creativity and the building possibilities.

The new product will be ready for purchase in all markets in August 2019. SPIKE Prime is available today for pre-order in the US at the LEGO Education website.

About LEGO Education

LEGO® Education offers hands-on, playful STEAM learning experiences based on the LEGO® system of bricks, hardware, software and content for students and their teachers in early learning, primary, and secondary education as well as through after-school programs and competitions. These solutions create an environment for active, collaborative learning where students build skills for their future, a lifelong love for learning and confidence in their ability to learn and solve problems, setting them up for lifelong success.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2019 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

Praxisorientiertes MINT-Lernen an weiterführenden Schulen – mit dem neuen Lernkonzept SPIKE™ Prime von LEGO® Education

SPIKE™ Prime ergänzt das LEGO® Education Lernkontinuum und wurde gestern zusammen mit einer neuen Studie zum Thema „Selbstvertrauen der Schüler aufbauen“ vorgestellt

BILLUND, Dänemark, 3. April 2019 – LEGO® Education stellte gestern SPIKE™ Prime vor, das neueste Lernkonzept im LEGO Education Portfolio für praxisorientiertes Lernen im MINT-Unterricht (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik). SPIKE Prime beinhaltet zahlreiche LEGO Elemente, verschiedene Sensoren und Motoren und einen programmierbaren Hub. Mit der SPIKE App, die auf der beliebten Programmiersprache Scratch basiert, kann der Hub gesteuert und so die selbstgebauten Modelle zum Leben erweckt werden. Zudem enthält die SPIKE App lehrplanbezogene Unterrichtseinheiten, die auf 45-minütige Schulstunden zugeschnitten sind. Die fertigen Einheiten machen es Lehrkräften leicht, SPIKE Prime in ihren Unterricht zu integrieren.

SPIKE Prime wurde für Schülerinnen und Schüler der 5. bis 8. Klasse entwickelt, unabhängig von deren individuellem Lernstand. Durch einen intuitiven, physischen, digitalen und kreativen Ansatz sollen Schüler motiviert werden, technologisch-basiertes Lernen in MINT-Fächern mit Selbstvertrauen anzugehen. Laut der Ergebnisse des aktuellen Confidence Reports, in dem das Thema Selbstvertrauen beim Lernen thematisiert wird, fördert praxisorientiertes Lernen von MINT-Themen das Selbstvertrauen von Schülern. Die internationale Umfrage wurde von dem Marktforschungsinstitut Harris Insights & Analytics durchgeführt und zeitgleich zum Produktlaunch veröffentlicht. Gemäß der Umfrage sagen 87 Prozent der Schüler, dass sie Themen eher lernen und sich besser merken können, wenn das Lernen praxisnahe Projekte einschließt. Auch 93 Prozent der Eltern geben an, dass praxisorientiertes Lernen Kindern hilft, das erlernte Wissen besser zu speichern. Lehrkräften ist die Relevanz interaktiver Lernmethoden bewusst, aber nur 40 Prozent geben an, dass ihre Schüler während des Schultages häufig oder immer Zeit für praxisnahe Übungen haben.

Lehrkräfte und Eltern sind sich einig, dass praxisorientierte Projekte und Gruppenarbeiten insbesondere im MINT-Bereich der beste Weg sind, um das Selbstvertrauen der Schüler zu stärken. Die Umfrage hat gezeigt, dass Schüler, die im MINT-Unterricht Selbstvertrauen zeigen, auch beim Erlernen neuer Themen selbstsicherer sind. Alle Lernkonzepte von LEGO Education wurden mit dem Ziel entwickelt, Schülern praxisnahe Unterrichtseinheiten zu bieten und sie dabei zu kritischem und kreativem Denken, zum Problemlösen und zur Zusammenarbeit anzuregen.

Um das Selbstvertrauen der Schüler zu stärken und Lehrkräfte bei der Integration praxisnaher Lernmethoden in ihren Unterricht zu unterstützen, bietet LEGO Education ein Toolkit sowie weltweite Fortbildungen für seine Lernkonzepte, einschließlich SPIKE Prime, an.

„Weltweit stehen Schüler in der 5. bis 8. Klasse vor einer Herausforderung: In diesem Alter verlieren sie häufig das Selbstvertrauen beim Lernen. Laut Umfrageergebnissen zum Thema Selbstvertrauen geben die meisten Schüler an, dass sie keinen erneuten Versuch machen möchten, wenn sie einmal versagt haben. Mit SPIKE Prime und den Lerneinheiten in der SPIKE App werden Kinder motiviert, neue Dinge auszuprobieren und solange zu experimentieren, bis sie die beste Lösung gefunden haben. Dadurch gewinnen sie Selbstvertrauen in ihre eigenen Fähigkeiten. Für Lehrer hingegen ist der Zeitaspekt eine große Hürde. Einfache Erste-Schritte-Übungen und die fertigen Unterrichtseinheiten ermöglichen es Lehrkräften, SPIKE Prime ohne große Vorbereitungszeit in ihren Unterricht zu integrieren“, sagt Esben Stærk Jørgensen, Präsident von LEGO Education.

„Unsere Mission bei LEGO Education ist es, die Entwickler, Ingenieure und Techniker von Morgen zu motivieren und auszubilden. SPIKE Prime unterstützt Schüler dabei, Erfolge zu erzielen“, ergänzt Jørgensen.

SPIKE Prime und die zugehörigen Lerneinheiten wurden in Zusammenarbeit mit Bildungsexperten und Pädagogen entwickelt – wie auch alle anderen Lernkonzepte in der fast 40-jährigen Erfolgsgeschichte von LEGO Education. So lässt sich praxisnahes Lernen in den Unterricht integrieren und hilft, Schüler stärker zu motivieren und sie für MINT-Themen zu begeistern.

LEGO Education und die LEGO Group haben zudem elf neue Elemente für das „LEGO System in Play“ kreiert, die zum ersten Mal mit SPIKE Prime vorgestellt werden. Zu diesen neuen Elementen gehört ein innovativer Baustein, der das Kombinieren der bekannten LEGO Bausteine mit den LEGO Technic Elementen noch einfacher macht und so grenzenlose Möglichkeiten für kreatives Bauen bietet.

SPIKE Prime wird im August 2019 in allen Märkten erhältlich sein.

Über LEGO Education

LEGO® Education bietet eine fortlaufende Reihe an praxisorientierten MINT-Lernkonzepten an – vom Kindergarten über die Grundschule bis hin zu den weiterführenden Schulen. Alle Lernkonzepte sind auf die jeweiligen Bildungs- bzw. Lehrpläne abgestimmt und individuell anpassbar, damit sie von Kindern jeden Alters unabhängig vom Lernfortschritt genutzt werden können. Die Lernkonzepte von LEGO Education fördern nicht nur die Kreativität, die Zusammenarbeit und das kritische Denken. Sie stärken das Selbstvertrauen und bereiten Kinder spielerisch auf ihre berufliche Zukunft vor.

LEGO, das LEGO-Logo, das Minifiguren- und SPIKE-Logo sind Marken und/oder Copyrights der LEGO Group. ©2019 The LEGO Group. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

MOREbot, 3D Printed Robotics Platform That Teaches STEAM Skills to Next-Gen Innovators, Launches on Kickstarter

MOREbot is easy enough for beginner tinkerers ages eight and up and grows to appeal to expert-level users

Fayetteville, Arkansas – Today on Kickstarter.com, MORE Technologies launches its expandable, modular STEM learning robotic ecosystem, MOREbot, that teaches people of all ages invention skills related to coding, 3D printing, electronics and more. As users learn and grow, the MOREbot ecosystem grows with them, accommodating different add-ons that help transform the robot into anything they can imagine.

“Robotics is a great way to introduce kids to and teach tech skills, but current robotics platforms are expensive and don’t scale with kids as they learn. Simply put, there’s no single robot platform that can take someone from beginner to expert,” said CEO Canon Reeves. “Our platform makes quality robot kits affordable, based on designs that teach real engineering skills. MOREbot is tangible enough for a beginner, yet it still maintains the ability to teach them at expert levels. We will inspire kids to explore tech skills and then provide them with the tools to take their learning wherever they desire. Regardless of whether they become an engineer, they still benefit from being able to adapt to tech quickly—an invaluable skill in any career.”

MOREbot starts with a Base Robot that users can build and then control via mobile application. Next, creators can expand the Base Robot by incorporating add-on kits to transform MOREbot into creations like a catapult or a robotic arm. By integrating such components as Motion Kits, Structure Kits and Sensor Kits, MOREbot users can reconfigure parts to invent anything imaginable, stretching the bounds of such capabilities as remote-driving MOREbot with a Bluetooth-controlled app.

MOREbot teaches valuable technology skills related to coding, 3D printing and electronics using the Arduino software platform. It also prepares makers of any age to adapt to a fast-changing world by teaching critical skills like problem solving and design thinking. MOREbot is available at a fraction of the cost of those produced by leading competitors, all while offering unprecedented customizations and deeper learning outcomes because almost all of the parts are 3D-printed and snap together with readily available wooden dowels.

The Base Robot contains one Bluetooth module, two motors, one Arduino Uno, one Arduino motor controller shield, eight (8) batteries and one (1) battery pack, over thirty (30) 3D-printed parts, CAD files, twenty-two (22) wooden dowels, four (4) jumper wires, one (1) screwdriver, two (2) rubber bands and free tutorials.

MOREbot is currently available on Kickstarter ,starting at $69 for the Base Robot. For more information or to pre-order, visit pr.go2.fund/morebot.

About MORE Technologies, LLC

MORE Technologies believes kids have the power to change the world with technology, so they are making robots that put exploration, creativity and innovative thinking at the heart of the learning process. The company’s 3D printed, customizable robotics kits are designed for the classroom, home or anywhere a maker’s mind can imagine. MORE Technologies is preparing next-generation innovators for a fast-changing world and empowering them to solve the world’s most pressing problems. For more information, visit https://moretech.co.

Electrocuting Robot by Ethan David

Ethan David just messaged me and sent me a video:

“ I made the robot using an arduino, a servo motor, and cardboard boxes. Most of the heavy lifting is taken care of in python doing the fast fourier transform on the sound detected by the microphone to find the frequency being played. This allows me to compare the frequency to the known frequency of the musical scale. It then becomes trivial to just program in the correct sequence of notes for the song and see if what I play matches it. „

iRobot and Google Collaborate to Advance the Next-Generation Smart Home

BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), the
leader in consumer robots, has announced a collaboration with Google to
integrate robotic and smart home technologies that will advance the
next-generation smart home.

Consumer robots like the iRobot Roomba® i7+ robot vacuum are ideally suited
to enable intuitive and personalized smart home experiences based on an
ability to learn a home’s floor plan. With Imprint™ Smart Mapping, the
Roomba i7+ remembers multiple floor plans and room names so users can
customize cleaning jobs. Using the Google Assistant, users can also direct the
robot to clean a specific room with a simple voice command, like ‚Hey Google,
clean the kitchen‘.

Working together, iRobot and Google will seek additional ways to integrate
their platforms, providing customers with the choice to opt in to new
innovative smart home experiences that leverage a broader understanding of the
home’s space. For example, the spatial awareness of the home that Roomba
maintains may help to simplify smart home setup and enable powerful new
automations.

„iRobot is delivering products that help people keep a cleaner and smarter
home,“ said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. „Robots with mapping and
spatial awareness capabilities will play an important role in allowing other
smart devices in the home to more seamlessly work together. We’re looking
forward to working with Google to explore new ways to enable a more thoughtful
home.“

„Over the past year, we’ve been working hard to make it easier to control all
the devices and appliances in your home with the Google Assistant with just
your voice,“ said Michele Turner, director, Smart Home Ecosystem, Google.
„We’re excited to be exploring with iRobot how its unique spatial awareness
technology can work with the Assistant to offer customers a more intuitive and
personalized experience in their homes.“

About iRobot Corp.
iRobot, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and builds robots
that empower people to do more both inside and outside of the home. iRobot
created the home robot cleaning category with the introduction of its Roomba®
Vacuuming Robot in 2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold
more than 20 million robots worldwide. iRobot’s product line, including the
Roomba and the Braava® family of mopping robots, feature proprietary
technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation.
iRobot’s engineers are building an ecosystem of robots and technologies to
enable the smart home. For more information about iRobot, please visit
www.irobot.com.

For iRobot Investors
Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical
information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements
relating to iRobot Corporation’s expectations concerning research and
development activities, collaboration with third parties and management’s
plans, objectives and strategies. These statements are neither promises nor
guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of
which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements.
Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
iRobot undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained
in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events
or circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and
other risks faced by iRobot, see the disclosure contained in our public
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without
limitation, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE iRobot Corp.

Maker Faire Eindhoven 2018

World’s first smart dancing robot speaker, dancebot, gets funded just 2 hours from launch

Expressive robot speaker connects with any Bluetooth-capable device and converts any type of audio played in real time into motion using intelligent algorithm to drive the feet of the robot using bionics technology.

HOUSTON – Aplus Drones is pleased to announce the launch of Dancebot, a smart dancing robot speaker designed with intelligent algorithm technology, today on Kickstarter. Dancebot reached its funding goal of $10,000 in just 2 hours.

Dancebot is the world’s first smart dancing robot speaker. Connect your device to Dancebot via Bluetooth and use it as a speaker. Dancebot will move to the audio it plays.

Aplus Drones has developed an algorithm to analyse audio input on the fly to string together movements that best express the sound played through Dancebot. It moves to the rhythm and tempo of music in its adorable expression of the songs. It taps its feet and jives to upbeat tunes. It slides in silky sleek movements to bring out the sexy in slow pieces.

Dancebot is designed with two joints in each leg. A motor drives each joint through 360 degrees of motion. Aplus Drones engineers have been creating a database of movements Dancebot is capable of. The variation of speed and degree of motion at each joint creates multiple permutations of possible moves that can be achieved with the four joints. The large library of movements and on-the-fly analysis means Dancebot has a different dance routine each time it jives to the same song.

The movement expressed by Dancebot depends on the audio it plays. Besides playing music, Dancebot can be used to play audiobooks, videos, podcasts or even voice messages.

This makes Dancebot the perfect companion for children. Play a children’s audiobook or nursery rhymes with Dancebot and it will move to the narration of the story and dance along to the nursery rhymes. Dancebot’s animated movements makes learning more engaging and a whole a lot more fun.

The startup sound for Dancebot can be customized into a personalised message, making it ideal as a gift.

For more information or to purchase Dancebot at a special discount during crowdfunding, visit the Dancebot Kickstarter campaign page.

About Aplus Drones

Aplus Drones is an entrepreneurial technology company focusing on artificial intelligence and robotic technology development. The company provides award-winning product design, product development, manufacturing, marketing, logistics and shipping services. Full control over the whole supply chain makes Aplus a one-stop solution for clients.

About Dancebot

Dancebot is a smart dancing robot speaker that is a fun audio companion. It moves to the rhythm and tempo of the audio played through it. Play music, audiobooks, podcasts, videos or even voice messages

The Duckietown Foundation announces the AI Driving Olympics (AI-DO), a self-driving car competition to debut at NIPS 2018

The Duckietown Foundation is excited to announce the The AI Driving Olympics, a new competition focused around AI for self-driving cars. The first edition of the AI Driving Olympics 2018 will take place December 7, 2018, at Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), the premiere machine learning conference, in Montréal. This is the first competition with real robots that will take place at a machine learning conference.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/163162211/duckietown-a-playful-road-to-learning-robotics-and?ref=dwrnb2

The competition will use the Duckietown platform, a miniature self-driving car platform used for autonomy education and research. The Duckietown project originated at MIT in 2016 and is now used by many institutions worldwide.

The AI Driving Olympics is presented in collaboration with 6 academic institutions: ETH Zürich (Switzerland), Université de Montréal (Canada), National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan), Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (USA), Tsinghua University (China) and Georgia Tech (USA), as well as two industry co-organizers: nuTonomy (a self-driving car company) and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

About the competition: The competition comprises 4 challenges of increasing complexity: 1) Road following on an empty road; 2) Road following with obstacles; 3) Point to point navigation in a city network with other vehicles; and 4) Fleet planning for a full autonomous mobility on demand system.

Competitors will have access to a suite of professional development tools (simulators, logs, baseline implementations). Real environments called “Robotariums” will be remotely accessible for evaluation. The highest scoring entries in the robotariums will be run during the live event at NIPS 2018 to determine the overall winners.

Scientific goals: The competition aims at directing academic research towards the hard problems of embodied AI, such as modularity of learning processes, and learning in simulation while deploying in reality.  

Social goals: The competition also promotes the democratization of AI and robotics research by using an inexpensive platform, and offering a common infrastructure available through the use of remote testing facilities. Competitors can also build or acquire their own testing facility (Duckiebots and a Duckietowns), through either open-source DIY instructions, or as rewards obtained in our kickstarter campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/163162211/duckietown-a-playful-road-to-learning-robotics-and?ref=dwrnb2)

 

Transform your classroom with VEX EDR

Careers in STEM are on the rise!
Give your students the tools they need to succeed:
With more schools adopting robotics as a platform to enhance STEM and Computer Science courses, teachers need a solution to seamlessly integrate curriculum, programming software, and hardware into the classroom.

STEM Labs
Our scaffolded, standards-matched STEM Labs
can be adapted to fit any classroom
STEM Labs are hands-on activities, which include diverse builds, games, and competitions, that align with education standards while also showing real-world applications of concepts.

These activities give students the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with their classmates. Every STEM Lab has multiple approaches to solving a problem, allowing students to experiment with creative design solutions.

For many teachers, figuring out how to implement concepts into maths, design & technology, engineering and computer science subjects can be difficult. Our STEM Labs allow for easy implementation with minimal preparation time. Each STEM Lab can be used on multiple platforms and includes easy-to-follow build instructions.

Go to the STEM Labs Portal: https://education.vex.com/