Fusion of engineering, art, and education through an interactive robotic puppet show

Abstract

In this current age of the Technological Revolution, technical proficiency is not enough for graduating engineers and scientists. Creativity and innovation need to be emphasized and pursued. The Robotic Puppet Show fuses engineering, art, and education all in one. The focus of the project is to promote not only interest in math and science for young women, but it includes art to develop creative thinking. The robotic puppets are powered by Vex motors and servos and operated by remote control. After construction of a robotic puppet, I visited a Boston area high school as a guest speaker to demonstrate the robotic puppet's features and abilities, to talk about engineering as a student and in industry, and to gain feedback from students. The robotic puppet was well-received. Human interaction with the robotic puppet played a large part in the students interest. Future plans for the Robotic Puppet Show include developing more personable robots that interact with students on stage. Results indicate that there is potential for successfully teaching robotics to students in this art/engineering approach to both encourage women to pursue engineering and to develop creative thinking that is much needed in today's changing job market.