PFI-TT: Soft robotic educational kits for recruiting a more diverse group of students into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project will be to spark interest and induct a more diverse group of students from underrepresented backgrounds into robotics and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields generally. These objectives will be enabled through the development of engineering toolkits for students, educators, researchers, and hobbyist-makers.

This project may reduce the underrepresentation of various backgrounds in STEM fields (i.e. women, people of color, low SES students) in two primary ways. First, by introducing robotics curriculum to students in middle and high school, it will increase the likelihood that students from underrepresented groups will have access to this field at an impactful age, when many students develop identities that reflect their future societal roles as adults.

Additionally, the multidisciplinary approach of the soft robotic kits may appeal to students with interests in areas like art, craft making, fashion design, medicine, and environmental protection. Inviting students with diverse subject interests may encourage innovative ideas and solutions in many fields.

The project seeks to develop new soft robotic STEM kits, evaluate their utility with educational partners, and deepen partnerships with organizations that have experience supporting hardware-focused startups. Most of the robotics STEM kits on the market consist of pre-built components that can be assembled in different configurations to realize various physical designs.

Students are limited by the constraints of the hardware, limiting the potential for cross-curricular collaboration and innovation and ultimately discouraging the development of new perspectives or novel ideas. This project seeks to refine and develop entry-level soft robotic kits complete with materials, build instructions, and an educational curriculum.

The focus of the kits will be on subjects typically neglected in introductory robotic design experiences such as manufacturing, material science, mechanical design, biology, medicine, and human-robot cooperation. These kits will consist of curriculum-backed hardware and their design will be based on feedback from students and educators, and ultimately be evaluated in pilots with high school students in partnership with educational organizations.

In addition, a first open-ended soft robotic kit will be developed to broaden the possibilities for design and creativity and lower the barrier of entry for students, makers, and artists for creating more sophisticated soft robots.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.