CoderBot at MeetMeTonight 2016: a robot to play thinking
As is now customary, CoderBot participated in MeetMeTonight, this year with three different experiences available to the public and a nice meeting with “mythical” characters to say the least.
The MeetMeTonight 2016
The MeetMeTonight - Researchers’ night event is organized by Italian universities with the aim of disseminating knowledge and involving people, non-experts, in the work of researchers.
Activities with CoderBot
This year CoderBot was present at the stand of the Department of Human Sciences for Education “R. Massa”, University of Milan-Bicocca, with three permanent laboratories available to children and teenagers.
This year there were three workshops, corresponding to educational games with different approaches and purposes.
The scientist game
In this game, also known as “roboethology”, the students observe a CoderBot already programmed to move in a delimited arena based on an algorithm unknown to the observer.
The robot assumes the role of an “unknown being” to observe and describe.
The activity therefore consists in applying the techniques of the scientific method to hypothesize the nature of the behavior assumed by the robot: why does it move in that way? Why does it sometimes stop? Does it sometimes slow down or is it just an impression?
Treasure hunt
This game takes advantage of CoderBot’s feature of being equipped with a camera capable of taking images of the space in front of the robot itself.
The images, acquired during the execution of the program, can be reviewed as a film even later by the users.
The game consists in programming the robot to move in an unknown environment to seek and find objectives of interest (treasure) and avoid other “hostile” objectives (pirates and sea monsters).
The cat and mouse game
In this team game, two CoderBots play respectively a “predator” (the cat) and a “prey” (the mouse).
The aim of the game is to write a program which, once executed, allows the robot to reach its goal, i.e. in the case of the cat to reach the mouse, while in the case of the mouse to get as far away from the cat as possible.
The game is a variation on the classic “maze” theme with the added difficulty of trying to figure out your opponent’s moves.
Mickey’s guest CoderBot
During the event, CoderBot was also a guest at the Mickey Mouse stand, the weekly magazine loved by children and teenagers.
CoderBot was the protagonist of some adventures imagined and designed by the kids who took part in some workshops at the stand, in collaboration with the professional designers of the magazine.
Posted on 01/10/2016 by CoderBot news