Robots & People (NanoDays 2014)

NISE Network product
Description
In the first part of the "Robots & People" program, visitors learn what robots and nanobots are, what they can do, and how they affect our lives. In the second part of the program, visitors imagine and draw a robot, designing it to do a particular task.
Product category
Theater and Stage Presentations
Programs and Activities
Audience
Ages 4 - Adult
Topics
Nanotechnology
Engineering and Technology
Technology
Science and Society
Societal Topics

Objectives

Big Idea

Robots and people influence each other.

Learning Goals

Explain that a robot is a machine that can sense, plan, and act.

Explain that nanobots would be robots the size of cell or molecules—but they don’t yet exist.

Give examples of some of the things people have created robots to do.

Describe how robots and people influence each other; for example: values shape the kinds of robots we create and use, robots can change the relationships between people, and robots are part of larger systems that include technological, political, social, and environmental components.

Nano Content Map
Nanometer-sized things are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do.
Nanotechnologies—and their costs, utility, risks, and benefits—are closely interconnected with society and with our values.

Credits

Funding

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

Permissions
Creative Commons 3.0 (for NISE Network products)
Development Process
NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.
Project
Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
Kit
NanoDays

NanoDays kit