This paper describes the methodology and outcomes of a series of educational events conducted in 2021 which leveraged robot swarms to educate high-school and university students about epidemiological models and how they can inform societal and governmental policies. With a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, the events consisted of 4 online and 3 in-person workshops where students had the chance to interact with a swarm of 20 custom-built brushbots -- small-scale vibration-driven robots optimized for portability and robustness. Through the analysis of data collected during a post-event survey, this paper shows how the events positively impacted the students' views on the scientific method to guide real-world decision making, as well as their interest in robotics.
翻译:本文件介绍了2021年开展的一系列教育活动的方法和成果,这些活动利用机器人群对中学生和大学生进行流行病学模型教育,以及他们如何为社会和政府政策提供信息,具体侧重于COVID-19大流行病,活动包括4个在线讲习班和3个面对面讲习班,学生有机会与20个定制的灌木机群互动 -- -- 小型振动驱动机器人,优化其可移动性和稳健性。通过分析活动后调查期间收集的数据,本文展示了这些事件如何积极影响学生对指导现实世界决策的科学方法的看法,以及他们对机器人的兴趣。