He’ll stand 58 inches tall and his red eyes will light up. He’ll be able to move, laugh, talk and complete simple tasks. Meet Riley—a humanoid robot that students at the Arcadia School District are building thanks to a grant from the Findlay Hancock County Community Foundation.
“I saw the robot in a science magazine and thought it was awesome,” said Barb Tidd, a science teacher at Arcadia who is leading the project. “We forget how robots impact our everyday lives and many students will someday work with robots as ‘co-workers’ or they will design, build and program robots.”
Students in grades 7 through 12 will construct and program Riley during an academic assist period. The challenging project will acquaint students with a TETRIX building system and LEGO Mindware software. Students will learn how to assemble parts, wire and insert circuits, solder electronic components, and work with advanced software. RPM Carbide Die —a local precision machining company—has offered to provide technical assistance.
Riley should be constructed by Christmas, says Tidd.
Students can then begin to program him for action and take him to school assemblies and neighboring school districts
for demonstrations.
“Eventually we’d like to program him to complete a maze,” she says. “He is sure to be a favorite among the students and to demonstrate the educational progress at Arcadia schools.
