Educational Robotics in Brooklyn

For the past five years, we have been bringing LEGO robots into university classrooms to enhance courses on introductory programming and computer science (both for computer science majors and non-majors), object-oriented programming, artificial intelligence, embodied agents and multiagent systems. We have also experimented with the use of Sony AIBO robots and are currently investigating other platforms for teaching. These experiences have led to efforts involving robotics for enriching public school classrooms through our outreach program, called robotics.edu.Our initiatives have always involved team-based projects that culminate in demonstrations or competitions, frequently structured around challenges from RoboCupJunior1.RoboCup2, initiated in 1997, was designed to bring together robotics and artificial intelligence researchers world-wide by providing a common problem for which a solution would require both advances in many fields and a collective approach to research within those fields (Kitano et al. 1997). Initially, the arena was robotic soccer, played by autonomous robots in several �leagues�, distinguished by differences in physical size, hardware platform and approaches to vision and software control. This was later expanded to include robotic urban search and rescue as well. In 2000, the RoboCupJunior (RCJ) division was formed, with the goal of introducing young students (primary through high school) to RoboCup and providing them with an exciting and motivating way to learn about technology through hands-on experiences (Sklar, Eguchi, & Johnson 2002).