Episode: 1574
Title: HPR1574: Arts and Bots
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr1574/hpr1574.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-18 05:12:24

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Clara, tell me about Arts and Bots.
Arts and Bots is a program out of the Create Lab that actually was developed for middle school girls.
It was this idea of a technology that could attract girls.
So we decided to figure out a way where we can use the technology using robotic parts
and craft materials to build a robot that can express emotion, tell a story.
So this is a little bit of what Arts and Bots does.
I've been looking at a couple of the examples.
Some of them seem to be little robots that move on command or one that recites poetry to you.
Stuff like that. What are all these powered on?
I mean, how did this all come about?
What it is, it's called the hummingbird, the board that comes attached to LEDs.
You have motors, you have servos, sensors, and what did kids do?
Yes, light sensors, we have motion sensors, yes.
So what we do is, you know, having all these parts, kids can put together craft materials or recycle materials
to build pretty much anything they want to build.
So a lot of the times we're working within the school programs.
So teachers can develop whatever curriculum they want.
So we have an example of a teacher doing implementing Arts and Bots in a language arts class
where kids actually read a poem.
And when they read the poem, they can then think about a way to express that poem into a robot.
Nice, okay.
So it's building, you know, a scenario for the robot, like whatever they're saying or something like that.
Yeah, okay, cool.
How do you interface with the hummingbird board?
Like how do you program that?
So it's actually a very simple drag and draw environment, language that we also develop the software.
So the kids can program their robots, you know, no, it's, well actually it's a good question.
I'm not sure because it's a very drag and draw, but they do have all the languages that you can, you know, for beginners,
you use the visual programmer that we develop.
Okay.
But then for my advanced, you can use Java and you can use all the languages like processing as well.
Very cool.
Oh, you can use processing?
Yeah.
Oh cool.
Yeah.
With the words in class, I think it is very building about a month ago.
Oh, fantastic.
There we have it here.
Might be somewhere else, I don't know.
But yeah, that sounds really cool.
So is the hummingbird board like an embedded system?
Or do you have to have it hooked up to a computer for it to run or what?
The board needs to be hooked up to the computer
to make it run or controlling.
Yes.
Yes, the controller board.
Cool.
Yes.
That's the hardware.
How did you guys get started like this program?
How do you go about like going to tools and saying, hey, here's a crazy idea.
Learn robotics.
Do you get to your students?
Like how do you do that?
Yeah.
So actually the way it started was because of the necessity to say we would like to have, you know, working with girls and figure out what girls would be interested, you know, in the technology like robotics.
And then, but it's to make something fun, creative.
So what they did was they actually ended up working with us and say, well, we have this idea.
Okay.
What do you think about this idea?
And they say we have this board and then slowly we're understanding that we need to add more light.
We need to add more LEDs.
Yeah.
We need a tricolor LED LED.
Yeah.
Or you need a server motor that moves 180 degrees so we can add for the arms.
Okay.
So the arms and the developing is along with the community.
Yes.
With the students.
Yes.
And then I believe actually I wasn't, you know, so part of the beginning.
Yeah.
But I do know that they started, you know, the basics.
We want to do something very basic because of the doing like a drag and drop programming to just kind of very basic introduction to computer science.
And then now you can definitely, you know, for more advanced students, you can definitely go into other languages.
Right.
That's really cool.
Is it still just a program for girls or is it reaching out?
No.
Definitely now it turns out to be definitely reaching, you know, the much more than just middle school girls, but now it also reach boys.
And we have, you know, that's been implemented in very young age.
We have, you know, students doing even in kindergarten where the teachers take the lead and help them, you know, with the whole idea of what's robotics.
Okay.
Well, let me ask you this then.
I mean, how did you get the teachers to jump on board like, or did they, were they happy to do it?
It just seems like that would be something new for them to learn maybe and maybe they would not be able to learn that or how did that work out.
I think because of the philosophy of the create lab, it's usually always from the beginning to involve the community partners or the teachers from the beginning.
So, you know, even with the development of the curriculum, we did invite teachers to say, here, what we have, this is the hummingbird.
Yeah.
What do you, what can you do?
What do you think, can you explore and give us, and tell us how to implement this in the classroom and make it to them and jump it on them.
You ask them to come help you to figure out how to make it to you.
Yeah.
That's great.
That's really great.
So, this is all to create lab.
So, is it all open-sourced?
Yeah, it is.
All open-sourced?
Yes.
Developed.
Wow.
Yeah.
So, actually, now, there was a company where, took on the, and they, they sell, they actually kept the hummingbird board.
So, now, it's available for people that can go online, buy their own equipment, and then take, actually, up to, uh, workshop with us.
So, hands-on workshop for teachers.
So, we support them to say, you're only supposed to do that, right?
Like, you're, you're Pittsburgh only, because you're at CMU, literally.
Well, actually, we have, um, what is, we know what we call it, like, a satellite, where all the technology that being developed here, and, at Create Lab,
it can be brought into, or taken to all the locations, by working with universities.
Right.
So, Marshall University, uh, June Harle Center, which is part of the Department of, uh, the College of Education.
Over there, we work with a team over there, where they, do, they train with us, learn about the technology, and then they work with the teachers there,
that it can implement the arts and arts technology, and many other technologies from the Create Lab.
So, this idea of becoming sustainable, and work with the people that know the community.
So, the people at Marshall University know well, who they work with, who the community, you know, are.
So, they can just work and implement arts in different locations.
Uh, the same way we're doing with West Liberty University.
It's also another university doing the same thing, where they're taking Create Lab technology, and really thinking the way that they can help, you know, the community to implement, and really have someone that supports them.
Right. It's not just giving the technology, and not, and don't have any place to go.
Yeah.
So, maybe you're not the right person to ask, because you weren't there at the very beginning, but, like, what, why do you guys think, or maybe you know, why do you personally think,
that the technology should be integrated into things like this, like, like, poetry, and, and schooling, and stuff like that, like, why is that important?
Well, I think because the Create Lab, the philosophy, again, is about not just the technology for technology's sake, but it's for, okay, how can we make something engaging, and today, you know, kids' age, technology for them is engaging.
But, you know, a way that can be implemented in the classroom, that's not the engineering class, or it's not just into a technology class, but it's actually in a language art, or anatomy, where we have a robot that actually moves the whole arm.
So, that's a little bit about, very neat.
Where can people find more about arts and bots, is that just the Create Lab, right?
Yeah, you can always, you know, check out all the programs we have, cmu.createlab.org.
Okay.
So, and then, that's what you can, you know, look for arts and bots, and, uh, explore and see how we can, you know, help and support teachers implementing a classroom.
Cool.
Thank you very much for talking to me.
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