Campers taking part in the ARoPability workshop, conducted by Georgia Tech are learning to design, program and test robots over the next two weeks in spite of their visual impairments.
Twenty-five students belonging to the middle school and high school are taking part in the session being held from June 27 – July 7. The Georgia Institute of Technology enters into a partnership with the Center for the Visually Impaired and WizKidz Science and Technology Centers to conduct this session. The workshop is organized using funds from the National Science Foundation.
The workshop’s objective is to encourage disabled students to learn about science, math technology, and engineering fields.
During the first week, students will design their robots and engage in sumo style fights with robots of other participants. In the second week, they program a robot to move and solve a maze.
Professor Ayanna Howard, a faculty member in electrical and computer engineering at Georgia Tech used the Wii game system remote controller to forward sensory and auditory responses established on a programming language to the campers. Even without seeing the robot, the students will be aware if their robot has finished its programmed activities.
The task and the feedback she gains at this camp will be used in her research for developing robotics to talk and aid the visually impaired.
Source: http://www.gatech.edu/