Why Turn STEM Into STEAM?

Why go from STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math)?

Teaching NAO Robot To Do The Right Thing

TEACHING NAO ROBOT TO DO THE RIGHT THING

Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson Says It's Better To Die Rich!

Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson is a well-known TV personality whose education and experience in physics have qualified him to make pronouncements of great weight in the area of --as you might guess--astrophysics.  While his background in economics may be somewhat obscure, one thing he said recently at a press conference held at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan can be taken to the bank!  “Everything we know about science and technology,” he said, “tells us that they are the engines of the future economies. They are the seeds of tomorrow’s growth of wealth. I’m not going to twist your arm to get you to like science, but I don’t have to twist your arm to make you like money. If you don’t want to die poor you should invest in STEM.”

What is Blockly?

When I first heard the term “blockly” I thought I’d heard “broccoli” and I remembered a comment made by the first President Bush when he came under fire from the dietary fascists for reportedly banning broccoli from the White House:

Nao robot assists Robonaut 2

Faithful readers of this column have repeatedly heard us say how important NAO Robot is to research and education.  Doubters among you need only read on to learn how NAO is helping changing life aboard the International Space Station.

Pepper Robot The Future of Retail

"I'm a sophisticated combination of hardware and software designed to interact with humans and bring them joy," Pepper told CTV (that’s Canadian Television for those few of you who may not be aware that Toronto is in Canada) on March 2, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. Does the fact that Pepper is conversing with CTV mean that the robot will arrive in Canada before the United States? Will Pepper speak French before English? And will he be playing hockey before football? Oh, the humiliation!

Pepper Robot Meets Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson at CGI

While we common carbon-beings were going on about our dull, ordinary lives, Pepper Robot was one of the luminous participants at the recent Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) held in New York, City, September 26-29th, 2015. Pepper was onstage with famous  American Museum of Natural History Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Other notable participants at this year’s CGI included 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi,  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of the Republic of Liberia and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. Not to mention Chelsea Clinton and Sir Richard Branson. Participants talked about-- and we assume committed themselves to solving-- issues in such important subjects as Implications of Gender-based Violence and Addressing Early Childhood Development.

Pepper Robot Comes Home To France

GET A PEPPER ROBOT, Don't Kick the Dog!

     President Harry S. Truman is reputed to have said “If you need a friend in Washington, get a dog!” Apparently having a human friend and living in Washington is a contradiction in terms. Current political news tends to confirm that!  But owning a dog is no longer the only way to to gain the tension reducing benefits of friendship.  

Robotic engineers have developed an emotional robot. Aldebaran’s Pepper Robot is programmed to respond to evidence of human emotions like laughter, tears, and long faces. This programming allows Pepper to develop an attachment to the robot’s--for lack of a better term--“significant human.” Pepper then reacts to its significant human’s emotional signals in the way that that particular human has shown in previous similar situations he wants the robot to respond to effect a reduction in tension.  At first, presumably, the significant human must tell the robot what reactions he prefers in various emotional situations; which is, after all, not all that different from developing a well-functioning human relationship. Much as we would like our significant other to know what we need emotionally without being told, it rarely happens. Spouses are particularly difficult to program.

Millennials Fail at Numeracy

You’re in a dungeon with two doors. One leads to escape, the other to execution.

Do we have your attention? Good! This riddle’s relevance to a discussion on the failure of American students to meet the necessary minimum standards of numeracy is to be explained as we continue...