ModBot Toolkit 儿童水下机器人

柳丽娟，Hyunjoo Oh，张玲燕，方拓，黄牧灵，郝玥，王俊武，姚琤，应放天

水下机器人(UR)是集水下通信、机械、海洋科学、计算机科学和机器人技术于一体的跨学科技术的体现。虽然UR的设计具有高度的参与性和探索性，可以培养儿童的工程教育和海洋知识，但很少有研究探讨应用于儿童教育的UR设计。本文提出了一项利用UR让儿童参与探索工程、机器人和海洋环境的研究。我们介绍了ModBot，这是一个面向儿童的模块化UR制作工具包，包括传感硬件模块和基于平板的软件程序。31名儿童参与了实验研究，本文探索了儿童如何通过玩ModBot工具包和创建自己的UR来学习浮力和平衡等UR概念。本研究旨在探讨如何利用UR激发孩子对水环境的兴趣，并通过创造自己的UR与机器人建立联系。

Lijuan Liu, Hyunjoo Oh, Lingyan Zhang, Tuo Fang, Muling Huang, Yue Hao, Junwu Wang, Cheng Yao, Fangtian Ying

The underwater robot (UR) is an embodiment of interdisciplinary technologies, integrating underwater communication, machinery, marine science, computer science, and robotics. Although URs enable a highly engaging and exploratory construction that can foster children’s engineering education and ocean literacy, little work has explored UR design and education for children. In this paper, we present a study using URs to engage children in exploring engineering, robotics, environmental science, and marine sustainability. We introduce ModBot, a modular UR-making toolkit for children that uses hardware blocks and software applications for UR creation. We describe a study with 31 children (ages 5–8; 16 girls and 15 boys) and report how they learned UR concepts such as buoyancy and balance through playing with the ModBot kit and creating their own URs. This study is intended to investigate how URs can be used to spark children’s interest in water environments and make a connection to robotics by the creation of their own URs.

已发表论文/Publications

A study of children’s learning and play using an underwater robot construction kit

ModBot: A Tangible and Modular Making Toolkit for Children to Create Underwater Robots