by Carilyne Vance
On Friday, January 23, 2015, the Washington, DC 4-H students
of Calvary Christian Academy were among the first to see and review the latest
offering from National Geographic Movies: Robots 3D. Filmed with amazing cinematography and
incredible 3-D special effects, this movie takes a look at innovations made in
the field of robotics and how technology will improve human productivity
world-wide and across the socio-economic spectrum. The film centered on the
collaboration between NASA and General Motors that looked at the possibility of
integrating “humanoid” robots into everyday human lives through the use of
innovative engineering and design.
The first step is deciphering how humans operate and then
translating that process to the robotic subjects. The robots are programmed to
“sense, plan and react,” allowing the imitation of everyday human actions. That
is where the fun begins. Students were able to see how “mechanical thinking” happens.
The science of human physical actions is explored; covering everything from
taking steps, to controlling hand motions and understanding verbal
communications, while showing what innovations have been made to bridge the gap
between human activity and inanimate objects. No longer are Robots limited to
simple operated controlled movements, but are now able to process myriads of
programmed information in order to deduce the best possible action to take. In
other words, today’s robots “think” of the best ways to accomplish the tasks at
hand.
After previewing the movie, the students from Calvary
Christian Academy were asked to give their critique on everything from the look
of the movie to whether or not the concepts contain within were easy to
understand. The answer was a resounding “yes!”
Students were not only able to make the connection between the science
used to make the robots work but also how they can help with not only large
scale jobs that humans are not best suited for;
i.e. rescue efforts, handling
contaminates and working under adverse conditions, but also everyday routine
activities such as housekeeping.
The students were then asked to participate in a few
engineering activities, coached by the Nat Geo Science Team, that simulated the
basic methodologies outlined in the movie.
This is where the magic happened.
Not only were all of the students able to follow the concepts in the
movie, but several impressed their coaches by improvising with the materials in
order to expand the end functions produced. There were several "ahh-haa" moments
that brought a sense of joy to the adult observers and contributed to the
enthusiasm in the workshop areas.
The Center for 4-H and Youth Development’s new partnership
with National Geographic will allow 4-Hers from across the District of Columbia to beta test upcoming 2015 National
Geographic projects such as Nanotechnology...The New Plastic, Deep Sea
Challenge 3-D and Mysteries of the Unseen World. What an exciting to be a 4-Her!
For more information about the Center for 4-H and Youth Development,
please click here.
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