Robots For Kids

World Book Dictionary defines robot as "a machine made in imitation of a human being; a mechanical device that does routine work in response to commands. " I met my first robot in 1979 at the Texas Instruments plant in Austin, where it delivered mail. Despite early promises to the contrary, robots today are found not in the home, but primarily in factories. And although there are robots made out of Legos, there is no robot designed to pick up from the floor Legos. I, however, remain hopeful. Find out more at the following websites.

Robots For Kids

Robots For Kids

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Robots For Kids

Robots For Kids

Design Your Own Robot

"Robots come in all shapes and sizes. But what does it take to design one? " You are about to learn. First, you'll be assigned a mission for your robot. Will it be to search a sunken shipfor gold? Or to explore the surface of Mars? Design your robot by choosing elements for six basic functions: sensing, movement, manipulation, energy, intelligence and looks. When finished, you'll view your robot and your design will be critiqued. This totally awesome exercise requires the free Shockwave plug-in. Get it now.

Get a Grip on Robotics

This exhibit explores the jointed-arm robot which looks similar to a certain part of your body. " Each joint can move direction gives the robot one degree of freedom. So, a robot arm with three degrees of freedom can move in three ways: up/down, left/right, forward/backward and. Although some robots have six, eight or even twelve degrees of freedom, six is enough for most basic tasks, and therefore most workingrobot arms have six degrees of freedom. The human arm, however, has seven. Find out which movement you have robotic arms that most do not.

Robots and Space Toys

Robby the Robot is not the latest student project from M.I.T. "He's a classic robot toy. Brian Hayes of England, shares with us his passion for collecting vintage robots and space toys. To view these gems from the fifties and sixties, visit his Gallery and Classic Plastic Robot. If you wonder how much that robot toy found in your attic is worth, Brian has a bulletin board and posts free classified ads.

Robots For Kids