Here’s one way to get kids excited about programming: a "robot garden" with dozens of fast-changing LED lights and more than 100 origami robots that can crawl, swim, and blossom like flowers.
A team from CSAIL and the Department of Mechanical Engineering have developed a tablet-operated system that illustrates their cutting-edge research on distributed algorithms via robotic sheep, origami flowers that can open and change colors, and robotic ducks that fold into shape by being heated in an oven.
In a paper recently accepted to the 2015 International Conference on Robotics and Automation, researchers describe the system’s dual functions as a visual embodiment of their latest work in distributed computing, as well as an aesthetically appealing way to get more young students, and particularly girls, interested in programming.
Read more on MIT News: newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/can-led-robot-garden-make-coding-more-accessible-0218
