Building robots helps to boost children’s confidence and self-esteem. Assembling a device, then seeing that device interact with the world, is exciting and motivating. At Young Robotics Forum (YRF), kids make their own robot using a Fundoo Labs kit, which helps them to explore several relevant scientific ideas. Students at the forum have to consider tension and force when choosing the materials used for their robots, and to explore the use of electricity as a power source. They also apply geometry as they piece together various shapes, then fit them together into their robot.
Robotics also provides an excellent introduction to programming. Rather than writing programs to solve abstract problems, students can watch how robots respond to their programs, and see immediately whether anything has gone wrong or can be improved.