For all the students now enrolling at University Technical Colleges, one particular new recruit is causing quite a stir. NAO (pronounced 'Now'), a humanoid robot which has already appeared on
The Graham Norton Show and ITV’s
Tonight, is proving to be a big hit with these new educational institutions keen to sign students up for computing and robotics courses.
As a supplier of the NAO robot, Rapid has worked closely with UTCs in demonstrating its features and applications. The NAO has been recognized as having excellent educational value, both as a SEN resource and as a tool for Key Stage 4 students and above to advance their computer programming skills, as well as
developing their understanding of robotics, automation and mechatronics.
The great appeal of this particular robot, aside from its cute and lifelike mannerisms, is the fact that it is very much a work in progress. It was only a matter of months ago that students programmed the NAO to jump (it can also pick itself up and perform dance moves) – something its manufacturer, Aldebaran, had not yet achieved.
Five UTCs have already purchased a robot and joined the 5,000 strong NAO global community. UTC Norfolk, due to open in Norwich in September 2014, has acquired two. One has been named Salvador and is taking a starring role in open days, county shows and recruitment campaigns, while the UTC is also
running a competition to name its sister robot.
"NAO has a great deal to offer", says Andrew Wright, Vice Principal of Lincoln UTC, also set to open in the autumn. "Not only is the robot an engaging way to learn programming from the basics all the way to expert level, it is a fantastic recruiter of students! I have yet to see someone walk past a stand at a recruitment event and not stop to ask who NAO is!"
So what better time than now, with the new computer science curriculum only two months away, to introduce this incredibly exciting resource into your classroom? The NAO robot will make a huge difference to the way you will be able to engage and develop your students:
if they start working with it at 14, imagine what they could achieve by the time they start university?
In the 2014-15 academic year there is an added bonus, with students in the UK able to enter the
NAO Challenge@Home for the first time. This multi-disciplinary competition tests and trains students to optimize the capabilities of the NAO within a simulated environment, raising awareness of the potential of humanoid robots to make a difference to our lives.
For more information about the NAO robot, software and the NAO Challenge,
please visit our dedicated web pages.
https://www.rapidonline.com/nao