Forum A: Forum on AI Robotics Education

In response to the national plan released in the government document of Artificial Intelligence Development Outline, elementary and middle schools across the country have started offering educational courses and activities on robotics to students gradually. These courses and activities on robotics aim to arouse students' interest in learning and to develop their comprehensive capabilities by involving them in the assembly, construction and operation of robots. The assembling, building, and operating of a robot asks for comprehensive knowledge and skills in many domains, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, machinery, electronics, materials, energy, computer hardware, software, artificial intelligence and so on. In this way, children can learn knowledge of these domains easier with more fun. Through these courses and activities, children will be charmed by the beauty of cut-edge technologies, which can encourage more innovative minds and capable hands.

The benefits of robotics education for children are undoubtedly huge and comprehensive: first, children can develop their spatial imagination abilities by learning the structure of a robot; second, children can improve their logic thinking skills through rigorous and thorough programming; third, children can enhance their hands-on capabilities by constructing, programming, testing, operating, and running a robot; four, children can further develop their exploring and independent thinking skills by solving all kinds of problems with innovative solutions while learning and training a robot.

It is of great practical and strategical significance to offer education on AI robotics, promote the educational function of the robotics culture, and explore the educational value of the AI robots, which will encourage innovative education, enhance education reform, speed up education modernization, improve elementary and middle school students’ creativity and hands-on skills, boot the robotics industry development and build high-end AI robotics talent pool in China.