INNOVATION First, a leader in educational and competitive robotics products, has teamed up with Autodesk to launch Robotevents.com.
Promoting greater interest in science and technology in schools across the globe, this is a new web site designed to encourage students and educators to explore the exciting world of robotics and bring real-world experience to classrooms.
Robotics has become the science teacher’s “learning by stealth” weapon in the modern school environment.
According to the RoboCup Junior Chairman, Ian Maud, over 3,000 schools from Australia enter teams in the RoboCup championship, where students aged 8 to 18 design robots to solve practical challenges.
“Kids involved in robotics often do not learn in a conventional manner. I have seen many cases where students have left class and returned the next day, having been up long hours overnight on the Internet to self-teach themselves information so they can overcome a problem. Isn’t that the best sort of learning possible?” Maud said.
Maud is certain an interest in robotics building at school level leads to a life-long interest in engineering and robotics. “We’ve proven this many times over. For example, Australian students who have won the RoboCup Junior International soccer competition have been head-hunted by universities to secure their enrolment. One of my past students now runs his own robotics consultancy business. Companies have contacted students competing in the RoboCup Junior events to ask them to assist with projects too.”
Visitors to Robotevents.com are encouraged to join the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community (www.autodesk.com/edcommunity) to download free* student versions of popular 2D and 3D design software, including Autodesk Inventor software, which is used by professional robotics engineers throughout the world. Users can then share their creations and ideas with like-minded engineers around the world in the website’s forum. The partnership is an extension of Autodesk’s support of robotics, which during the past 16 years has included a contribution of approximately $96 million of software and training to support participants of the robotics competitions.
Robotevents.com is a comprehensive online resource that brings together information from many of the pioneers in the international educational robotics community. Robotevents.com will give users the unprecedented ability to locate and register for international top robotics and technology competitions. Other site features include news and information on industry conferences, camps and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators. Educators interested in implementing robotics programs in the classroom will be able to access curriculum materials such as the NASA Robotics Alliance Project and other resources. Visitors will also be able to access robotics blogs and online forums, and view the latest designs in a variety of robot galleries.
Any secondary or post-secondary student or educator with a valid education email address can join the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community by logging on to www.autodesk.com/edcommunity.
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