ROBOTICS MOVES FROM FUN TO SERIOUS LEARNING TOOL
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Amrutha Varshinii & Adarsh Jain
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TNN
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A Mix Of Engg And
Electronics, Science Is Now In Demand Among IT Cos & Service Sector
From being assembled with
lego kits or used in high-end programming, robots have moved from being
considered mere play things. In Tamil Nadu schools, they are be coming
an important tool of learning. In the past few years, the niche
branch of science has become a craze among students. Today , it
interests a child from as early as Class 1, when heshe is introduced to
simple lego-like kits and gradually advances to assembling and coding.
Robotics,today is considered a separate branch of engineering, and has evolved from a fairly new branch called mechatronics, an amalgamation of mechanical engineering and electronics. Sneha Priya, founder of Kidobotikz, clarifies that robotics is not as niche as touted. “Robotics is more a platform than a subject.It provides a platform to put various disciplines to test,“ she says, adding that it helps make students more knowledgeable.
Vijay Shah, who created the banking robot `Lakshmi' recently, points out that young children tend to be more creative with technology. “Students need intuitive learning in which they can explore concepts and try things on their own, like making a sensor, or programming a movement and this needs to be taught to them early,“ he says.
Experts in the field feel that though the education system has allowed for the new-age subject to find space among other extra curriculars, it has not understood its potential. The transition from the classroom exercises to real-world application remains doubtful. “It isn't like smaller crafts; robotics is an interdisciplinary subject and this takes time to comprehend. If schools are serious about offering robotics to students, it should be brought in as an elective,“ says Shalini, a parent.
While more children are willing to take up robotics, companies offering the training feel it should become part of the curriculum. Arun Yogesh, CEO of Jay Robotics, has been helping schools like MCC and DAV Public conduct workshops to spark interest among students. “There are more schools lately willing to bring us on-board to teach robotics. Despite growing interest, it will still take some time for robotics to be in the curriculum,“ he said. The problem is that most schools do not have the infrastructure to teach students and end up outsourcing it to private companies.
In the past few years, there has been a flurry of startups using software-bots to offer various services -finding nearby restaurant, booking cabs and analysing legal contracts. Despite the promising career in the highly evolving science, the subject is taught only in a few colleges. B Vinod, head of robotics and automation engineering at PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, points out that the demand for trained robotics graduates has increased exponentially. “We have a batch of 30 students, and we have 22 of them placed. As enough do not offer robotics course we are unable to meet the industry requirement,“ he says.
Robotics,today is considered a separate branch of engineering, and has evolved from a fairly new branch called mechatronics, an amalgamation of mechanical engineering and electronics. Sneha Priya, founder of Kidobotikz, clarifies that robotics is not as niche as touted. “Robotics is more a platform than a subject.It provides a platform to put various disciplines to test,“ she says, adding that it helps make students more knowledgeable.
Vijay Shah, who created the banking robot `Lakshmi' recently, points out that young children tend to be more creative with technology. “Students need intuitive learning in which they can explore concepts and try things on their own, like making a sensor, or programming a movement and this needs to be taught to them early,“ he says.
Experts in the field feel that though the education system has allowed for the new-age subject to find space among other extra curriculars, it has not understood its potential. The transition from the classroom exercises to real-world application remains doubtful. “It isn't like smaller crafts; robotics is an interdisciplinary subject and this takes time to comprehend. If schools are serious about offering robotics to students, it should be brought in as an elective,“ says Shalini, a parent.
While more children are willing to take up robotics, companies offering the training feel it should become part of the curriculum. Arun Yogesh, CEO of Jay Robotics, has been helping schools like MCC and DAV Public conduct workshops to spark interest among students. “There are more schools lately willing to bring us on-board to teach robotics. Despite growing interest, it will still take some time for robotics to be in the curriculum,“ he said. The problem is that most schools do not have the infrastructure to teach students and end up outsourcing it to private companies.
In the past few years, there has been a flurry of startups using software-bots to offer various services -finding nearby restaurant, booking cabs and analysing legal contracts. Despite the promising career in the highly evolving science, the subject is taught only in a few colleges. B Vinod, head of robotics and automation engineering at PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, points out that the demand for trained robotics graduates has increased exponentially. “We have a batch of 30 students, and we have 22 of them placed. As enough do not offer robotics course we are unable to meet the industry requirement,“ he says.
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