Robotics for under 18s

This is not a EURON priority, but we have collected together some ideas and links to places we hope are helpful to those teaching robotics to school children.

Our robotic kits page may also be helpful. We also have some information about funding opportunities for schools, if you know of more please tell us.

Classes often enjoy following one of the robot competitions.

The Fraunhofer IAIS Roberta-Goes-EU educational programme is specially tailored to girls and young women. Contact Gerhard Kraetzschmar roberta-office AT ais.fraunhofer.de to arrange a teacher and/or pupil workshop near you!

First Lego League organise annual challenges which are issued in September and go through a national stage before the final in April. The 2007-8 Challenge is Power puzzle: Energy Resources - Meeting the Global Demand.

Futurelab are seeking exciting ideas about new ways of learning with technology. Our aim is to turn your idea into a working prototype that will showcase the concept and enable children and young people to try it out. The deadline has passed, but keep an eye on the website!

RoboCupJunior is by now probably the largest robot competition for under 18s in Europe. World finals 2007 were held in Atlanta, USA, in July. RoboCupJunior contains three separate competitions: Dance, Rescue, and Soccer. National finals (in each participating country) come first!

PlaniSim simulates a 2D-world in which objects are represented by points which have mass and struts which have length. Download a free copy from http://robofesta.open.ac.uk/Planisim.

Lego Factory allows you to download Lego Digital Designer software for free. This three-dimensional, computer-aided design program helps you create your own Lego models. You can save and share the creation or order all the necessary components and step-by-step instructions on how to build the design. Lego Factory is live today; the cost of your creations depends on how many Lego pieces your design requires.

UK schools can apply for an ICT Excellence Award, launched to reward schools approaching ICT in outstanding or innovative ways, benefiting their whole community, inside and outside the school building.

The UK Royal Society offers Partnership Grants to bring scientists and teachers together to bring science alive in schools and so inspire young people.

Arrick's school report site is an excellent starting point for those doing robotics projects.

The AuRoRA Project (Autonomous Robotic Platforms as a Remedial Tool for Children with Autism) studies if and how robots can become a "toy" that might serve an educational or therapeutic role for children with autism.

TrackNAVCHALLENGE is aimed at British 14-18 year olds and tasks them with designing and building (with a bit of help!) a radio controlled, four-wheel drive model vehicle that emulates the all-terrain capabilities of a Land Rover. Regional Heats are at the end of June and the National Final at the start of July 2008.

Shape the Future is a campaign to raise awareness of engineering and technology in the UK. Some teacher training and some funding are available.

Primary Engineer aims to help UK youngsters (aged 4-11) discover engineering.

The Rockingham Festival in July is a three day celebration of science, maths and engineering for young people from 8 to 16, giving them the chance to try hands-on activities and be inspired by real-life opportunities in science and engineering.

Robotic competitions and events of relevance to UK schoolchildren are gathered on Steve Thomas' website. Some of these are relevant to other countries also.