The first robot was unarguably Mechanical Knight designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the year 1495. As displayed by Leonardo in the court of Milan, this robot could move its limbs and head. But in the year 2013 the field of robotics has become vast and word robot is no longer limited to refer a humanoid that perform certain tasks similar to that of the humans. Scope of robotics is becoming vast and vast with its application crossing the boundaries of imaginations of our human mind. Like mobile phones and laptops robots will be very much a part of our lifestyle. Today, robot is part of almost every industry like defense, medical research, home utility, food, manufacturing, and list is long. Take any like - drone that are designed as unmanned vehicle, or painting robot in a automobile assemble line that can paint a car body in 50 seconds, or any other robot.
Robots not
only improves efficiency, but can do job that are on explored by human beings. Some
home grown robots (MINDSTORMS NXT)
are capable of solving complex challenges like rubix cube in less than 5
seconds. Robotics stands at a point where computers were almost a decade ago. Lot of work has been done in industries, but still reach
is not more than 0.1%.
Industry will grow exponentially
and will need expertise to sustain the growth. Lot of initiatives are being
taken to help students take up this challenge, not only by learning robotics in
early age, but also learning application of mathematics and science concepts in
form of robotics.
There is multitude of robotics
kit available in market for students to learn robotics like LEGO MINDSTORMS
NXT, VEX, BIOLOID, etc. These kits are
simple to use, and come with sensors and motors. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT is most popular kit due
to its cost advantage, but VEX is a good kit for advanced users. Students can
design Robotics Projects and give their imagination a shape using these kits. RoboGalaxy
offers a comprehensive online education on robotics. RoboGalaxy provides
education at three levels depending on age group – elementary, junior and
senior. RoboGalaxy also provides coaching for international competition like
World Robot Olympiad (WRO), FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and provides a window of
opportunity to show case talent at international arena.
Learning robotics in early age
not only helps students implement STEM concepts, but also, they can go for
higher education into this niche area. Almost every university in United States
of America offer robotics projects either
for Undergraduate or Postgraduate students.