RoboParty is a pedagogical/educational project that aims at teaching young people how to build mobile autonomous robots.
They use the RoboCup games to organize the RoboParty event to educate young people about the basics of robotics in a simple and entertaining way.
During the event, RoboParty gathers teams of up to 4 people, usually 3 youngsters and 1 adult, which stay together for 3 days and are supported by qualified tutors. Every team is required to bring a laptop for programming the robot during the training session.
Primary or secondary school students must be 11 years of age in order to participate in the event.
RoboParty believes in providing an engaging learning atmosphere to all participants, which is why it uses cartoon slides in some of the training sessions.
The event begins with a training session on the basics of electronic components (diodes, switches, resistors, transistors, etc,), and the basic principles of programming (C Language and Arduino) and mechanics.
To teach the teams the basics of robot building, additional training sessions are given:
Participants are provided with a robotic kit created by the company SAR (Soluções de Automação e Robótica) and Minho University and can be taken home after the event.
The robot kit is a Bot’n Roll ONE A robotic kit which is an Open Source robot platform. It has been specifically designed for RoboParty to teach the main areas of robotics during assembly, like components soldering, mechanical assembly and robot programing.
The Bot’n Roll ONE A platform is compatible with One Wire, I2C, SPI devices and any available Arduino Uno compatible shields. It also includes a “line following” sensor. The software to program the robot is provided by IDE Arduino.
Participants are guided by qualified tutors throughout their training sessions to make sure all robots function effectively in the end. On the last day of the event, participants are given three optional challenges: Race of the Champions, Obstacle Avoidance and Dance.
The most rewarding part of this event is that the young people can see their self-built robot working. It gives the teams a chance to test hardware, software and to compare their robots with other teams. This enhances their motivation to get involved in robotics and to experience what it is to participate in similar challenges as RoboCupJunior leagues.
RoboParty Demonstration. Copyright: RoboParty
Apart from these competitons, RoboParty arranges various fun activities, such as music, sports, games, Internet, parties, etc.
RoboParty is an event that not only helps participants learn about the history and programming of robotics, but it also educates them on the various University alternatives they can choose for their future endeavours.
RoboCup Federation
RoboCup 2014
