Chinese pupils have "close contacts" with robots in new semester

Robots in science fictions and movie will not be riddles any more for pupils in Harbin, capital city in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, but become new open course in the new semester.

From this semester, students in some schools in the northeastern city will learn lessons on fancy robots in their classes, and this is also China's first and trial step for students to learn about robots.

Composed of hardware, software and teaching materials, robot "Nuobao", was manufactured by Harbin Institute of Technology and can be used for reinstallment and operation in classes.

Designed for teaching, abstractive programs were replaced by concrete figure formats and arithmetic for the robot, which are easy for students to master. By inputting their own programs, in form of formats, students are able to put the robot in wanted actions.

The newly set course and text book on artificial intelligence and robot has provided an access for students to advanced technologies and made the mysterious character in science fictions and films closer to children, said Yang Qing, a professor with Harbin Researching Institute of Education.

For a long time, robot has been a mysterious topic for young students in China, thinking of it as a high-tech field and far away from their school subjects.

The design of the robot for teaching, filled the scientific vacancy of the field in China due to the absence of a practical textbook and a teaching aid in past years, said Bao Qingshan, one of the designers, adding that it is significant for the reform of China's primary information education.

Source: Xinhua