Young technocrats take a tour of the world of robots

To guide young technocrats in the right direction, dna and Irobokids organised a robotics workshop at High Street Phoenix, on Wednesday. This workshop gave children an opportunity to take a peek into the world of electronics and mechanical engineering.

Over 40 children, divided into groups of three, were given a Lego machine set along with step-by-step instructions on how to make an actual robotic inch worm. This exercise lasted for about an hour and was aimed at teaching children the basic elements of science, technology and mathematics involved in designing and assembling a robot.

The best experience for participating children was to watch the robot move. “I want to do this again,” said 9-year-old Antara Bhattacharya.

“She is interested in such things. Antara has always been tech savvy and knows how to operate latest gadgets better than I do,” said Soumya Bhattacharya, Antara’s mother.

“We have made it easier for kids to comprehend the technology by providing a task box on the robot that they can sync with a laptop and give it different commands. Children today are smarter with gadgets than most elders,” said Jinesh Shah, co-owner of Irobokids.

Irobokids is a concept created to introduce young children to basic sciences like electronics, mechanics, engineering and software. These come under the study of robotics. They have not only tied up with various schools across the city, but also have their own centre that organises different programmes and sessions that cover all the aspects to build a robot.

With the summer holidays approaching, parents are on the hunt for new and interesting summer camp ideas for their kids. “Every summer I choose different activity classes for my son. I really enjoy watching him learn. Being a boy, I think he enjoyed this science-based classes more than the calligraphy class I sent him for last year. This robotics summer camp is something I would definitely look forward to,” said Nayna Gosrani, mother of a participant.

The dna workshop will continue till April 21 at various venues across the city.