Award Abstract # 1823736
I-Corps: A Design Driven Educational Robotics Framework

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Initial Amendment Date: March 7, 2018
Latest Amendment Date: October 14, 2021
Award Number: 1823736
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Ruth Shuman
rshuman@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2160
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: April 1, 2018
End Date: June 30, 2022 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $50,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $50,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2018 = $50,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Anurag Purwar (Principal Investigator)
    anurag.purwar@stonybrook.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: SUNY at Stony Brook
W5510 FRANKS MELVILLE MEMORIAL LIBRARY
STONY BROOK
NY  US  11794-0001
(631)632-9949
Sponsor Congressional District: 01
Primary Place of Performance: SUNY at Stony Brook
NY  US  11794-2300
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
01
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): M746VC6XMNH9
Parent UEI: M746VC6XMNH9
NSF Program(s): I-Corps
Primary Program Source: 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 802300
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in providing a design-driven robotics framework encompassing a low-cost, modular robot hardware kit, a software app for motion design, and a web-based Computer-Aided Design (CAD) environment to enable students, makers, hobbyists, and industry practitioners to innovate and invent robots and machines. The framework brings together computational thinking, design process, and programming to meet STEM imperatives and provide compelling value propositions for both the education and prototyping industry. The proposed robotics framework has the potential to fill 2.5 million unfilled jobs in STEM and positively impact the U.S. educational robotics market, which is expected to grow to $2.7 billion by 2021.

This I-Corps project leverages the latest research in mechanism synthesis area to create novel algorithms for designing motions of planar linkage mechanisms. Planar linkage mechanisms are rigid bodies connected to one another using rotating or sliding joints and their special configurations give rise to desired motion. Their implementation in a mobile app provides users an ability to synthesize and simulate mechanisms for robots and machines. While, the robot hardware kit employs inexpensively produced novel planar and compliant pieces to create a new method of interconnection to realize three-dimensional geometry and mechanisms of robots and structures, the web-based CAD tool would allow users to design customized robot parts. The flexibility of the design allows for the use of any programming platform and any readily available sensors and actuators thereby dramatically broadening the inventions design capabilities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

This NSF I-Corps project titled "I-Corps: A Design Driven Educational Robotics Framework" led to the development of SnappyXO Design, a STEM Robotics education product (http://www.snappyxo.com), which includes a patented hardware kit, a Machine Learning driven robot motion design software, and curriculum and learning material for K-12 and college students. 

This unified and holistic product teaches students engineering design, practical electronics, and computational thinking under one umbrella and brings a new approach to STEM and robotics education, wherein students engage in the entire design innovation cycle from conceptualization to programmable robots.

The foundation of this project were in an NSF research award titled "A Computational Framework for Data-Driven Mechanism Design Innovation", which led to the development of a data-driven paradigm for kinematic synthesis of mechanical motion generating systems. 

This NSF I-Corps project led to a structured program for understanding the needs and problems of K-12 stakeholders, like Asst superintendent of curriculum, science chairpersons, principals, and teachers in imparting effective STEM eduction and meeting the challenges of the new science standards. 

While the following challenges are not uniformly applicable to all types of schools as they differ in their goals and objectives, they represent some of the biggest challenges faced by them:

  1. K-12 STEM educators are looking for a standards-aligned, authentic, and affordable STEM Robotics and Engineering Design education curriculum as mandated by the new and emerging science standards.
  2. The curriculum should scale all the way from elementary to high school and should enable educators to equip their students with the 4Cs (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity) of 21st century skills. 
  3. School teachers and administrators are passionate and enthusiastic about their teaching, but lack capacity and time to develop curriculum and teaching tools for their students. 
  4. Professional development of teachers is critical to the successful implementation of new teaching tools.
  5. High cost and toy-like feel of STEM and robotics education products is a barrier to entry or is not perceived as educational. They need low-cost scalable hardware and software, which supports learning outcomes effectively.
  6. Robotics education in schools is either focused on competition or coding-oriented, which  discourages students from diverse backgrounds, especially under-represented and female students, to pursue engineering. 
  7. Current state of robotics education in schools should focus on teaching students all aspects of robotics, viz. mechanical systems design, electronics, and microcontroller programming so as to draw students with different interests and aspirations.
  8. Robotics instructors and coaches want students to learn how to design their robots, not simply copy or download existing designs or follow a manual. 
  9. Studies show that 78% of high school graduates do not meet the benchmark readiness for college courses in STEM. Schools need authentic and college aligned dual credit high-school courses to prepare students for career and technical education. 
  10. Schools want to differentiate themselves from other schools and remain attractive to parents so as to not lose their funding or face budget reduction.

 


Last Modified: 01/18/2023
Modified by: Anurag Purwar

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