Olin Seminar Series:

Prof. Robbie Berg, Department of Physics at Wellesley College will present an overview of the work he has been doing in collaboration with the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab that aims to extend traditional construction kits, expanding the range of what people design and create -- and what they learn in the process.   For example, they are building computational power directly into objects such as LEGO bricks. These Programmable Bricks allow users to build everything from robotic creatures to interactive kinetic sculptures to scientific instruments, and in the process, learn about engineering and design. They are currently developing a family of Programmable Bricks, known as Crickets, that are especially well-suited for rapid prototyping of computerized constructions. The LEGO company now sells a product (part of its Mindstorms product line) based on our Programmable Brick research.

 

They use Programmable Bricks at Wellesley College in a course that he and Franklyn Turbak co-teach called Robotic Design Studio, which aims to introduce liberal arts students to the essence of engineering. Robotic Design Studio represents an alternative vision  of how robot design can be used to teach engineering in a way that is more inclusive and provides more room for artistic expression than contest-centered formats.

 

 

presents the

“Learning by Designing:

New Kinds of Computational Construction Kits”

 

Featuring

 

Professor Robbie Berg., Department of Physics, Wellesley College

 

Friday, April 4th, 2003

1 to 2 PM (refreshments at 12:30 AM)

Academic Center 113, Olin College

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For directions go to: http://www.olin.edu//campus/getting%5Faround.asp