Georgia Institute of Technology in collaboration with the WizKidz Science and Technology Centers recently presented a 2-week ARoPability workshop for the visually impaired.
Rayshun Dorsey prepares his robot for the challenge
A grant was received from the National Science Foundation to fund the event. The intention of the workshop was to draw the attention of the students with disabilities to involve themselves in the fields of technology, engineering, science and mathematics. Over twenty high school and middle school students attended the ARoPability workshop.
Professor Ayanna Howard of Georgia Tech stated that the goal of the workshop was to equip students with tools so that they can get involved and enter the fields of mathematics, engineering, technology and science.
The workshop was divided into two design areas to enable students to learn skill sets based on the level of their impairment. In the programming section, students can magnify the screens of the computer using screen enlargement software and learn computing. For sensory feedback, the students were provided with specially programmed Nintendo Wii sticks, which will be used to navigate the programmed robots through a maze after they learned to program their robots. The students are also provided special headphones, which would notify the student of the robot’s movement through beeps.
In the garage section, students learnt to build robots, which were made from Legos, which were attached with auditory sensors. Robots built with Legos have sharp edges and bumpy tops, which aid the visually impaired.
After ensuring that the robots can run straight, each student is given the opportunity to play against their friend’s robot in a combat. The aim of the sumo styled combat is to throw off the opposing robot and win.