Creating autonomous roboticists

Abstract

KISS Institute's Botball program is a national program, designed for middle and high school students, that uses the activities of robot building and programming to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Botball puts robotics equipment into schools, then trains students and teachers in that equipment's use. The program is organized into spring regional tournaments and a national Botball tournament held at the Annual National Conference on Artificial Intelligence. This program is playing an important role in creating and inspiring the next generation of AI and robotics technologists, many of whom might very well be the engineers and computer scientists who design and build sophisticated, highly autonomous rovers and other space platforms for future NASA missions of exploration. The inspiration cuts both ways.