Putting Science and Technology in learners’ hands
May 7, 2008
As part of National Science Week (10 – 17 May 2008) Fischertechnik and Rossum Academy will be hosting educator workshops at the MTN Sciencentre.
These workshops will explore exciting ways in which to bring the concepts in the national school curriculum to life and to light using educational building and robotics kits. We will be sharing some of the demonstrations and experiments that teachers and their students can do that will truly bring a new dimension to the classroom.
In line with this year’s theme for National Science Week, we want educators to come and see how to put Science and Technology really in the youth’s hands in the classroom.
Examples of concepts we will explore
• Mechanics – gearing, levers, pulleys, mechanical advantage
• Pneumatics and Hydraulics – pumps, pistons, pressure and volume
• Renewable energy – solar, wind and hydro-electric generation
• Electricity - generators, motors, energy storage, capacitors
• Electronics – sensors, actuators, integrated circuits, controllers
• Visual programming languages and flow charts
• Control systems and pre-engineering concepts
Who should attend?
Primary and secondary school educators and curriculum advisors in the fields of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Science, Technology, IT, Design and Computer studies.
Details of the workshops
Date: Tuesday 13 May and Thursday 15 May 2008
Time: 15:30 - 16:30
Venue: MTN Sciencentre classroom, Canal Walk
For more info or to reserve your seat contact us on info@rossum.co.za or phone Neels on 082 334 3250.
We encourage all educators to attend one of these workshops.
Robots at the operating table the way to go
May 4, 2008
A recent New York Times article indicated the growign role that robots are playing in the medical field - increasingly for sensitive surgical procedures.
From cardiac procedures to cosmetic surgery to orthopedic operations, robots are already a $1 billion segement of the medical device industry.
According to the article: “Many urologists performing prostate surgery view the precise, tremor-free movements of a robot as the best way to spare nerves crucial to bladder control and sexual potency. A robot’s ability to deftly handle small tools may lead to a less invasive procedure and faster recovery for a patient. Robots also can protect surgeons from physical stress and exposure to X-rays that may force them into premature retirement.”
As robots revolutionized the manufacturing industry in the 1980’s, experts are now predicting that robots would eventually operate as precisely as the world’s greatest surgeons, but doing so far more tirelessly and in remote locations thanks to control via satelite links.
Read the full article for more information
Welcome
March 17, 2008
Welcome to the website of Rossum Robotics Academy.
We will be adding more content soon.
Robotics industry to expand
February 20, 2008
According to a recent Forbes magazine article, cleaning, lawn moving and pool cleaning robots are expected to be a $1,8bn industry by 2014.
Beside these ‘helper’ robots, a range of robots for entertainment or companionship has also become popular. These include Sony’s AIBO robotic dog, the cute and furry Furby by Tiger Electronics and iRobi, a robot that reads the news and recipes to you and even acts as a karaoke machine. One of the most advanced domestic humanoid robots, Honda’s ASIMO, has not yet become commercially available.
Outside the household, robots have also found their way into the military. There are more than 700 bomb-disarming robots deployed by the US Military in Iraq and Afghanistan. iRobot has also recently been awarded a $286million contract to deliver 3000 robots to be used for surveillance and scouting missions by the army.
But the ultimate vision for roboticists is complete self-navigating robotic helpers and robotic vehicles. These ambitions are currently actively pursued in research labs and competitions. The 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge entailed university teams having to make actual vehicles function completely driverless and then self-navigate around a 96km urban area course. The 2007 challenge was won by Carnegie Mellon University with Stanford in the second place.
Another major contest is RoboCup. This annual event seeks to promote research and education through a competition where teams design multiple robots that play variations of soccer against each other. The overall aim of RoboCup is to “by the year 2050, develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world soccer champion team.”
