We have been using robots in our artificial intelligence course since fall 2000. We have been using the robots for open-laboratory projects. The projects are designed to emphasize high-level knowledge-based AI algorithms. After three offerings of the course, we paused to analyze the collected data and to see if we could answer the following…

Little research has been conducted on how students work when they are required to plan, build and evaluate artefacts in technology rich learning environments such as those supported by tools including flow charts, "Labview" programming and Lego construction. In this study, activity theory was used as an analytic tool to examine the social…

The 23rd EUROCALL conference was held in Cyprus from the 24th to the 27th of August 2016. The theme of the conference this year was "CALL Communities and Culture." It offered a unique opportunity to hear from real-world CALL practitioners on how they practice CALL in their communities, and how the CALL culture has developed in local and…

This training module on the troubleshooting of an electromechanical system, The Westinghouse Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) controlling a pneumatic robot, is used for a troubleshooting unit in an electromechanical systems/robotics and automation systems course. In this unit, students locate and repair a defect in a PLC-operated machine. The…

Robots are machines designed to replace human labor. A fear of vast unemployment due to robots seems unfounded, however, since industrialization creates many more jobs and automation requires technologists to build, program, maintain, and operate sophisticated equipment. Robots possess an intelligence unit, a manipulator, and an end effector.…

Major resources exist that can be used to develop or upgrade programs in community colleges and technical institutes that educate robotics/automated systems technicians. The first category of resources is Economic, Social, and Education Issues. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report, "Automation and the Workplace," presents analyses of…

Discussion of the history and development of artificial intelligence (AI) highlights a bibliography of introductory books on various aspects of AI, including AI programing; problem solving; automated reasoning; game playing; natural language; expert systems; machine learning; robotics and vision; critics of AI; and representative software. (LRW)

A four-hour Introduction to Robotics lecture and laboratory course is discussed. Features of the three robot types used in the course are described, as well as how they are used in instruction. A computer program listing and two sample team projects are included. (MNS)

Proposes that full automation is the best current option for the United States' manufacturing industries. Advocates increased use of electronics, robotics, and computers in the establishment of unmanned factories. Implications of this movement are examined in terms of labor, management, and the structure of the economy. (ML)

A boom in industrial robotics has led numerous vocational institutions to launch extensive training programs in this specialty. ITT Educational Services offers two curriculum programs to train future manufacturing engineers. The firm's national director describes this model curriculum for meeting the needs of today's workforce. (JN)

The flexible manufacturing system (FMS), a new way of organizing the production process by means of numerical control machines, robots, and computerized workstations, is described. The author examines some of the implications of FMS and the challenges it poses. (Author/CT)

Using robots in the classroom can motivate students to learn basic skills. Suggestions are offered for adding excitement to the class with multidisciplinary activities, games, and a song. (DF)

This study examines what children learn about animals. The mental models that children reveal through their talk when they are faced with several different types of representations are reviewed. These representations are provided by robotic models in a museum, preserved animals in a museum, and preserved animals borrowed from a museum and…

Discusses a scrap sculpture project involving five sixth grade classes in making robots. (GB)

Offers such teaching activities as a one-line program contest, field trips, examining job openings in newspapers, and a writing activity speculating what would happen if robots did not follow Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics." Includes "Logo Goes to High School" by E. Paul Goldenberg, discussing problem-solving tasks…