We are very pleased to start seeing “Tell us” submissions come streaming in; thank you for your thoughts about what you would find useful on CIR. One very cool idea that we are excited about is the idea of a “CIR Toolbar” that enables many robotics websites to make use of our resources. As we start to design the first version of the CIR site, a recurring question that we wrestle with has to do with breadth versus rich functionality. It is clear that being totally comprehensive (bringing together all the information available on all aspects of robotics) is not feasible as a starting point, so the natural conclusion is that we ought to focus on issues in robotics where existing on-line resources are weakest, and therefore where our unbiased gathering of information, teaching and comparisons can bring the most value. So we definitely want very rich forms of information and interaction between community members on CIR, but the important question is, what specific sub-areas of robotics should we focus on first? For instance, we are all personally frustrated by the lack of a single place where all the various motors appropriate for mobile robots can be compared by price, torque, dimensions, size, voltage, etc. Another example: I receive many emails a day from folks wishing to start using robotics curricula in their classroom, and there is no single web-based starting point I can recommend without reservation. What are the specific focus areas that you think we should start with, both because existing resources fall short, and because those foci can create community sharing, community buzz and therefore allow CIR to put its best foot forward right away? Let us know, submit a “Tell Us.”

As many middle school, high school, and college students and teachers have discovered, robotics is a powerful educational tool for realizing important math and science topics and providing a motivation to learn those concepts in the first place. Several high profile competitions and curricula exist, such as FIRST and FIRST Lego League, Botball, and the Robocamp series of Robotics Curricula developed by some our colleagues here at CMU.

These nationally renowned programs have worked miracles, but we suspect that they represent the tip of the iceberg with regards to robotics curricula. There are untold stories at the local level of competitions, assignments, lesson plans, and curricula that may be useful seeds to others forming their own classes and competitions, or just looking for an exciting new idea to use in an existing class. To that effect, if you’re an educator who has developed a robotics related learning activity of any kind, please, tell us about it!

As a first example, we’re please to announce that the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Club has agreed to provide the curricula, software, and hardware schematics for their class, “Fun with Robots”. The class is provided through the Carnegie Mellon Student College, and has been designed and taught by undergraduate student instructors since 2002. In the course, students complete several assignments, such as building a light-follower, a robot which escapes from a maze, and a free-form robot art project. Although taught to undergraduates, the course requires no previous experience and materials could easily be used with high school students.

We often think of robots as functional tools, that serve humans through work. But there is a long history of artists using robotics for other purposes. Beyond the wonder and intrigue of these works, they also challenge us to rethink what a robot could be or could do. In addition, they provide insight into novel mechanisms and interactions.

Although the history of the use of robotics in art is too long to post, there are several sites that provide glimpses of contemporary work. Perhaps the best place to start is ArtBots, which is an annual exhibition of art robots from around the world.

If you are looking for an opportunity to collaborate with an artist, or you are an artist looking for like-minded folks, check out your local DorkBot, or if your city does not have a chapter,
start your own.

One of the many important roles we hope to play in the robotics community is that of a place where robot hardware designs– not just software– can be openly published and improved upon. At the Grace Hopper conference, Natalie Jeremijenko gave a wonderful talk about the Feral Robotic Dogs Project. This is a great example in that it hijacks toy robot dogs to engage a community in a discussion about real environmental concerns. We will strive both to point to sites such as that, and to present a first publication location for other robot projects wishing to go public with their designs. On that front, we are very excited to be able to announce that we will be publishing the design of the Keepon robot from Japan. Keepon has shown real success interacting with children in schools throughout Japan, and we are honored that Professor Kozima-san wants to use CIR in this way. I am hoping the combination of such open designs, plus a comprehensive database of robot equipment and commercial robotics capabilities can together form a critical mass for much more innovation.

Welcome to the Center for Innovative Robotics! This is actually our temporary site that is intended to really catalyze the community into providing us with feedback before we make final commitments on the final design of CIR’s role and functionality. I am writing this from the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, where we are running the Saturday session on robotics. The day begins with a keynote by Helen Greiner of iRobot, followed by three panel discussions with leading roboticists from industry, government, academia and the entrepreneurial world. We will show off the Personal Exploration Rover, several of Acroname’s robots, ten Roombas acting en masse, and several Telepresence Robot Kit Qwerkbots. This convention represents two major potential users of CIR in the future: students and teachers. We are aiming high with CIR, and as we start to crystallize our ideas of what services it ought to provide, based on feedback, we will tell you about that right here. Please do go to the “Tell us” tab and give us your ideas about how you would like to see us help you and your fellow roboticists out. -illah