The Experiment - 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge
In this year's experiment, the 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge, youth will enhance their engineering skills by learning to think like a robotics engineer, assembling their own robots, also known as Eco-bots, and control surfaces in order to manage an environmental clean-up. Youth will then test the interaction between the Eco-Bot’s environmental engineering design features and various control surface configurations to determine the most effective environmental clean-up solution for a simulated toxic spill. Download the 2012 4-H NYSD fact sheet.
Part One: Build Your Bot
Youth will assemble their own Eco-Bot, then discover how the robot functions.
Part Two: The Goal is Control
Youth will design a set of control surfaces to program the Eco-Bot to perform a simulated environmental clean-up project.
Part Three: Make a Clean Sweep
Youth will measure the effectiveness of their control surfaces by recording how much of the spill is “swept up” by the Eco-Bot.
Resources
These easy-to-use guides explain the science, technology and math behind 2012 National Science Experiment on engineering robotic solutions.
Why Robotics?
From the Roomba© that dances around your kitchen floor, to the sophisticated robotic arms on the International Space Station, robots play a critical role in how we complete tasks. As part of the 2012 National Science Experiment, 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge, youth will assemble their own Eco-Bots and control surfaces in order to manage an environmental clean-up.
Research from the Tufts Institute on Positive Youth Development shows that youth who participate in 4-H are more likely to pursue careers in science, engineering, technology or math. Youth who participate in 4-H National Youth Science Day or other complementary programs and curricula show an increased interest in science and engineering through hands-on experiments that model robotics, programming and problem solving. Participants recognize what robots can do, how they are programmed, and the role they serve in solving community issues.
4-H is Leading the Way
Today, more than 400,000 4-H youth participate in robotics and engineering programs through 4-H clubs. Our comprehensive robotics curriculum engages youth in grades 4-12 in the discovery of science concepts related to robotics, the engineering design process and exploration of careers in the field.
Thanks to ongoing partnerships with leading engineering and technology-based innovators like Lockheed Martin, Toyota, John Deere and FIRST Robotics, 4-H can provide valuable insight into scientific advances of today—engaging 4-H’ers in solving the world’s issues just might mean we find the solutions of tomorrow.