Robohub.org
 

CSAIL shows off demos to 150 high-schoolers for “Hour of Code”


by
15 December 2015



share this:
Students watch CSAIL researchers show off a "garden" made of dozens of distinct origami robots that move and change color to demonstrate complex programming algorithms. Photo: Jason Dorfman/CSAIL

Students watch CSAIL researchers show off a “garden” made of dozens of distinct origami robots that move and change color to demonstrate complex programming algorithms. Photo: Jason Dorfman/CSAIL

By Adam Conner-Simmons | CSAIL

Last Friday, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) hosted 150 local high school students for its second annual “Hour of Code” event, tied to the international initiative focused on getting kids interested in programming.

Researchers showed off robots, 3-D-printing technology, and other projects to math and computer science students from schools throughout the greater Boston area, including Cambridge, Charlestown, Roxbury, and Somerville.

The event also included a surprise video message from John Green, author of the bestselling young-adult novels-turned-movies “The Fault In Our Stars” and “Papertowns.” Green commended the students on participating the event and elaborated on why coding is important.

“I cannot emphasize enough how much I believe in learning computer science, not least because I am basically a first-grader when it comes to computer literacy,” Green said. “These days STEM education is vital to being able to understand the world around us and interact with it effectively.”

Among the projects on display were “MultiFab,” a 3-D-printer that can print using a record 10 different materials at once; Atlas, a 6-foot-tall, 400-pound humanoid robot that can open doors, climb stairs and drive a car; and a wireless device that can detect, track and identify individuals from the other side of a wall.

CSAIL Director Daniela Rus kicked off the event by inviting three graduate students to speak about how they got involved in programming and why coding is fun, exciting, and important.

“I like to think being able to code is sort of like having a superpower,” Rus said. “Researchers here can see through walls with wireless, create objects that nobody would have ever thought possible, and develop robots that shape-shift like Transformers and fly through trees at 30 miles per hour.”

To date approximately 150 million students have done an hour of programming as part of the Hour of Code, which was launched in 2013 by the organization code.org and takes place during Computer Science Education Week. Companies such as Apple and Microsoft have also jumped onboard with special programs, while last year U.S. President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to write a line of code.



tags: , , ,


MIT News





Related posts :



Congratulations to the #AAMAS2025 best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation award winners

  29 May 2025
Find out who won the awards presented at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems last week.

Congratulations to the #ICRA2025 best paper award winners

  27 May 2025
The winners and finalists in the different categories have been announced.

#ICRA2025 social media round-up

  23 May 2025
Find out what the participants got up to at the International Conference on Robotics & Automation.

Robot Talk Episode 122 – Bio-inspired flying robots, with Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez

  23 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez from Delft University of Technology about drones that can move on land and in the air.

Robot Talk Episode 121 – Adaptable robots for the home, with Lerrel Pinto

  16 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Lerrel Pinto from New York University about using machine learning to train robots to adapt to new environments.

What’s coming up at #ICRA2025?

  16 May 2025
Find out what's in store at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, which will take place from 19-23 May.

Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-tos

  14 May 2025
Researchers have developed a new robotic framework that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a how-to video

AI-powered robots help tackle Europe’s growing e-waste problem

  12 May 2025
EU-funded researchers have developed adaptable robots that could transform the way we recycle electronic waste, benefiting both the environment and the economy.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence