Technology Education Program-AlphaBots#1860 First

The program aims to combat digital illiteracy, dropout rates and lack of interest in school, inspiring vocations and bringing opportunities to talented students in the area of Robotics and Programming. The project also focuses on a work culture of values and social skills, bringing opportunities to young people and children with high skills, but in situations of social vulnerability and difficult access to Science and Technology.

The young people involved in the project participated in robotics competition events, where they showed excellent performance and teamwork.

Rio de Janeiro was the stage for a technology and engineering competition, with the participation of 800 high school students from public and private schools and the Social Service of Industry from 23 states and the Federal District. The SESI Off Season Robotics Festival takes place at Marina da Glória, with free entry to the public.

Our team participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): the FRC is more complex because the robots are industrial in size and reach 56 kg and 2 meters in height. They also need to perform activities in the arena, such as balancing on a platform. The competition is quite consolidated around the world, where teams are sponsored by large companies, such as General Motors, Apple, Xerox, Google, GE Energy, Toyota, which end up using the tournament to identify talent.

“What seems like just a competition with agile robots is, in fact, a talent factory. With a methodology that applies, in practice, concepts of science, engineering, technology, design and mathematics, called STEAM, students gain knowledge and technical and behavioral skills that will shape the professionals they will be in the future”, says the director of Industry Social Service Operations (SESI), Paulo Mol.

After so much dedication, day and night of activities, travel, pandemic, some good recognition and awards, this important achievement came: Off Season Champion in Rio de Janeiro 2023.

Links:

• https://www.alphalumen.org.br/

The program aims to combat digital illiteracy, evasion and lack of interest in school, inspiring vocations and bringing opportunities to talented students in the area of Robotics and Programming. The project is also committed to a work culture of values and social skills, bringing opportunities to young people and children with high skills, but in a situation of social vulnerability, and difficult access to Science and Technology.

The young participants of the ALPHA BOTS project took classes using the robotics laboratory. The students carried out interactions with the kits of assembly parts of small prototypes, aiming at the exercise of practical application and development of the ideas of the principles of movement of robots.

In this regard, classes are divided as follows:

Theory/practice:

a) Introduction to the main simple machines.

b) Interpretation of technical drawings.

c) Logical and mathematical reasoning exercises.

Laboratory:

a) Assembly in lego kits of simple machines: wheel and axle.

b) Assembly in lego kits of simple machines: lever and pulley.

The themes addressed in the project were careful to present practical subjects that are currently of great attention:

1. Presentation of technologies focused on STEM.

2. Presentation of examples applied to the STEM area.

3. Assembly of a robotics kit with attention to the objectives of:

a. follow a roadmap to assemble components of a robotic system,

b. check and observe how the precision of the components and a well done project can make the difference in a system,

c. component organization and categorization,

d. teamwork and cross-team collaboration.