One of the co-owners» is a graduate of the Department of Mechatronics at ITMO University. Two employees of the project are currently studying in our master's program.
We will tell you why the founders of the startup became interested in the educational field, how they develop the project, who are expected as students and what they are ready to offer for them.
© from our story about the Robotics Lab at ITMO University
Educational Robotics
According to the National Association of Robotics Market Participants, in 2017 there were educational circles in this discipline. Many of them were already franchised then, and today their number (and the number of franchisors) continues to increase. We are talking about hundreds of new educational institutions opened across the country.
At the same time, more and more schools are purchasing equipment for their own robotics circles, children's technology parks are beginning to appear - "", centers of youth creativity and . The development of infrastructure is followed by the formation specialists and teachers in this field, which means that there are real opportunities for popularizing robotics among children. This is what projects like "».
Eldar Ikhlasov, one of the founders of the startup, says that he had no previous interest in educational robotics, but admits that he was thinking about starting a technology business. His son helped him choose the direction, who drew attention to the thematic circle during , and then - began to participate in city competitions.
The idea came to me when I brought my eldest son to the robotics club at Anichkov Palace. It became interesting for me to help him study, and already in the first year he took second place in his age category in the city. Then I realized that I wanted to teach robotics, and after a year of classes with my son, I was inspired by the idea of starting my own club. Thus the first appeared of our project on Parnassus.
— Eldar Ikhlasov
How the team was formed
Eldar ran into a problem immediately after the first influx of students - most of them left the club as the trial period ended. He assessed the situation and decided to invest in equipment - to buy a 3D printer adapted for teaching children. In the process of finding the right solution, Eldar met Stanislav Pimenov, an engineer from ITMO University and a developer of an educational 3D printer. The situation with the outflow of children stabilized, and after a while Eldar offered Stanislav cooperation as a partner.
Now there are twelve people in the GoROBO team, and there are several outsourced employees. The founders call the project a "network of clubs". It includes thematic circles. Classes with children are conducted by graduates and last-year students of technical universities with experience in participating in competitions in sports robotics, and administrators are responsible for organizational processes and interaction with parents. Each of the founders of the project oversees several clubs - monitors the progress and quality of programs, deals with marketing and development.
Initially, I taught classes with Lego educational kits, later I began to hire teachers and got a 3D printer. So we got a thematic course on 3D modeling, and last year we wrote courses on programming in Scratch and creating smart devices based on Arduino.
— Eldar Ikhlasov
What programs does GoROBO offer?
The founders say they are ready to introduce robotics to the youngest children. At the same time, they do not expect any special knowledge and skills from new members even before joining the club.
The team offers several educational programs. One is designed for two years of education for children from 5 years old. The other is adapted for older children. The club helps the most experienced students with inventive activities and preparation for competitions.
In December and May, GoROBO holds internal competitions for students, and during the year it accompanies the winners at city and all-Russian competitions in robotics. This approach is designed to help children in various areas of their lives - when studying at school and university.
© GoROBO project
In the club, children learn the basics of robotics and build their own gadgets, such as 3D-printed models and Arduino-based smart devices. As projects are completed, they can take their developments home and show them to their parents and friends.
The software used in the process does not need to be paid. This - и .
What's in the plans
The team analyzed the experience of launching and promoting clubs in different locations and districts, and now they are working on a model of interaction with potential franchisees and preparing to launch their own robotics club franchise. In order to discuss and improve their developments together with experts, the founders decided to go .
As part of the program, they got the opportunity to communicate not only with invited experts, but also with colleagues in the accelerator. Also, a dedicated mentor worked with the team, who helped to draw up a business plan and form a vision for the further development of the project.
We were given an excellent opportunity to participate in various exhibitions and forums. But it would be interesting for us to develop further - for example, to work with IT companies that develop their own online courses for children. Also, we are thinking about the possibility of preparing materials in English and entering the international market.
In the meantime, we are waiting for young engineers to attend our classes in St. Petersburg.
— Eldar Ikhlasov
PS GoROBO clubs operate as comprehensive schools - from September to May. At the end of each lesson, parents can review the results. The project plans to develop a platform for tracking the progress of students and distance education.
PPS Additional reading material on our blog:
- . Another photo tour - this time with roboticists. We show the tools: industrial robotic manipulators, robotic grippers and a robotic model of a surface vessel (on KDPV for this material).
- . Fablab is a small workshop where students create various parts and devices for scientific projects. We show the equipment they use: 3D printers, saws and CNC machines. We will also talk about projects implemented in Fablab.
- . Respiratory diseases are one of the most common reasons for visiting the clinic. The Laeneco startup team has developed a smart stethoscope that uses machine learning algorithms to detect lung diseases from audio recordings. Already, its accuracy is 83%. In the article we talk about the capabilities of the gadget and its prospects for doctors and patients.
Source: habr.com