Utilizing autonomous mobile robot to increase interest in STEM

According to UNESCO, there is an apparent decline in interest among young people in STEM. This could have serious effects on developing countries such as Malaysia. New teaching and learning methods need to be developed in order to address this issue. The aim of this work is to utilize mobile robots to instill interest among school children toward STEM. Seven mobile robots along with a set of curriculums are designed. The low-cost robot consists of off-the-shelf components for easy maintenance, especially in resource starved localities. The robot consists of 3D printed frame, two DC motor actuated wheels and a microcontroller. Sockets are placed on top of the robot for users to include additional components. Users can program basic as well as advance robot behavior algorithm. A robotic curriculum that includes basic electronics and various programming exercises is designed. A robotic workshop is conducted with a group of 23 secondary school students. A survey is conducted to measure the participants' perception and interest toward STEM. Generally, the participants' interest in engineering discipline increases after the workshop. Female participants recorded 15.63% increase while male participants recorded 1.62% increase only. This limited study shows that it is feasible to introduce engineering topics at earlier age in order to nurture interest in STEM. More work need to be done to expand this study across diverse groups of participants.