Microbric has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its latest STEM targeted offering, Edison, (www.meetedison.com) in a bid to address the shortage of affordable robotics resources in mainstream education. Edison encompasses the functionality of other robotic products already available, but at a much lower price ($39), opening the door to wide spread adoption by all schools.
‘It has long been recognized that experimental, hands-on education provides superior motivation for learning new material, by providing real-world meaning to the otherwise abstract knowledge. Robotics has been shown to be a superb tool for hands-on learning, not only of robotics itself, but of general topics in science, technology, engineering, and math.
In spite of the slowly growing numbers of robotic platforms and kits on the market, the lack of a range of affordable robotic platforms persists. To reach the full spectrum of pre-university students and schools, such materials must truly be inexpensive as they must be acquired in significant numbers and be replaced regularly due to the natural wear-and-tear of hands-on education materials’. – Dr Maja Mataric, University of Southern California
‘Whilst schools recognize the importance of STEM education to the future of today’s students, providing a holistic, practical experience is often dictated by circumstantial factors such as available budget. We believe that this shouldn’t be a factor that prevents students getting the most effective education possible and have launched our $39 Edison robot to level the playing field for every student in every school,’ Brenton O’Brien, Managing Director of Microbric.
Edison tackles the question of student engagement and experimental learning by providing an intuitive icon based drag and drop programming software, as well as a wide array of sensors to react to light, sound and remote commands. Its modular design enables compatibility with LEGO products allowing schools already using these robotic products to continue seeing a return on their original investment as well as a cost effective extension through integration with Edison.
Do you believe that Edison rises to the challenge of making robotics affordable?
Visit the Edison Kickstarter campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/937295081/edison-fun-robotics-for-tomorrows-inventors
