The Research, Technological Development and Innova on System of SENA (SENNOVA) of Colombia, has the purpose of strengthening the standards of quality and relevance, through programs and projects as Tecnoacademias, defined as a STEM learning scenario, equipped with emerging technologies to develop innova on-oriented skills, through project training, to students of basic and secondary educa on, in courses such as Mathema cs, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, applied sciences such as Robo cs, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Virtual Technologies. This work presents some of the ac vi es carried out by the appren ces through the Educa onal Robo cs in Tecnoacademia Risaralda and Tecnoacademia Caldas sites, based on Industrial and Mechatronic Design methodologies, using LEGO MINDSTORM EV3 kits and Design Thinking for educators and LEGO , successfully applied in the EducarChile program. It is based on three fundamental pillars, which are empathy, collabora on and experimenta on, which are presented in the five (5) phases of the methodology. It should be noted that the tools of innova on and prototyping per se, do not serve much if the team that executes them is not immersed in a culture of tolerance, teamwork, leadership and if there is no feedback and if the capaci es are not taken into account and strengths of the work team. All this was achieved through different prototypes of robots of light and robust type originated in a PON scenario (problem, opportunity, needs).
1 SENA Tecnoacademia Risaralda; 2 SENA Tecnoacademia Caldas
In Colombia, the Ministry of Na onal Educa on MEN (2008) proposes: to train in technology, by encouraging scien fic curiosity for the solu on of problems and needs of the environment; to propi ate the development of cri cal thought and reflec on, for the control of technology in society; to provide tools for innova on and crea vity, in the solu on of problems from different points of view.
One of these tools is the Robo cs, and since the seven es (Ruiz, 1987), a new area of
study called "Pedagogical Robo cs" is generated, which uses these artefacts, which
have elements of electronics, programming and mechanics for didac c purposes;
relying on teaching and learning methodologies, changing the tradi onal role of the
teacher and taking the student to an ac ve role (2010_Pinto-Salamanca). Robots
naturally awaken the interests and curiosity of children, excite them to explore their
ideas through their inquiries and test their hypotheses, make new discoveries and
develop their knowledge through real-world experiences, by using a Technologically
and computa onally improved tool
As a STEM strategy (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathema cs), Educa onal
Robo cs allows the genera on of learning environments based on the ini a ve and
ac vity of students, for the solu on of problems that arise in the areas previously
exposed (Marquez, 2014 ) and skills in innova on, crea vity and real-life problem
solving are developed
The iden fica on, applica on and valida on of different mechatronic design tools through the use of pedagogical robo cs to solve a need, becomes the star ng point of an educa on that truly achieves an impact and a change of mentality, taking advantage of the scenarios and the exis ng infrastructure in the Na onal Service of Learning SENA (2018), a state en ty that provides STEM courses of 140 hours, including that of Robo cs Recrea on, in its 10 Educa on Centers called Tecnoacademia.
The methodologies described are supported in SENA's project-based learning strategy (2007, Carrera, 2011, GIZ), which allows the applica on of knowledge and the development of thinking skills, knowledge and the development of biophysical skills, in doing and developing basic skills such as ethics, asser ve communica on, and teamwork.
The educa onal robo cs workshop at Tecnoacademia Risaralda was conducted face-to-face, in two courses of 20 students each, divided into 5 groups of 4 students. Every session lasted an average of 4 hours, for a total of 10 sessions and 140 hours. The students made a robot prototype, first of low fidelity in cardboard and paper, then using the LEGO Mindstorm EV3 kit and the 5 phases of Design Thinking for Educators (IDEO, 2012): 1. Discovery: Through observa on, students discover that some tasks related to housework in their homes generate feelings of discomfort. 2. Interpreta on: The students performed technological surveillance on mechanical structures, sensors, displacement of robots, how they can be programmed and what is the cost of their parts in local stores. 3. Idea on: Brainstroming is done to choose the viable ideas for the solu on and are valued with a score of 0 to 5 depending on how well it meets the criteria: · It should be easy to manipulate. · It should be easy to program. · Its construc on should not be very expensive. · It should be able to move easily. · It should be beau ful.
Then, through a process of co-crea on, each team joins the winning criteria to realize their idea of robot. 4. Experimenta on: Each team was given a set of 20 materials (paper, cardboard, ballons, rope and others) and the students made the mechanical and electronic parts (sensors) ini ally with sketches, as well as describing the programming (behaviors) of the robot, everything by using a prototyping canvas. 5. Evolu on: The tool to share the history of the robot is designed, for the documenta on of the process and its valida on; Each group presented their work to students of the Chemistry line, who evaluated the robot with the same criteria men oned in point 3. Then, each team was given a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit and an expansion kit to build the func onal prototype, choose the mechanical configura on, the type of displacement, the sensors and the sequence of movements of the robot, to then be validated by the above criteria.
The previously described methodology was applied, this me with a single group of 5 students aged between 15 and 17 years old, members of the Robo cs line of Tecnoacademia Manizales, who were selected for their high performance in the ac vi es of the line .
1. In the Discovery phase, the challenge was to build a robot for explora on and liquid sampling in irregular terrain. 2. Interpreta on: The students performed technological surveillance on locomo on systems, stability mechanical structures and, displacement of robots on irregular terrains. 3. The Idea on phase were carried out in the manner already described for the
Domes c Robot Prototype. 4. For the Experimenta on phase the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit was used to design and build the different robot mechanisms: suspension, steering wheels, robot body, probe arm, syringe drive for samples. 5. Regarding the last phase, the prototype is in con nuous evolu on, with the aim of giving the possibility to new students to depart based on what was learned by their predecessors and from there to give new contribu ons to the project.
The prototypes of STEM mobile robo cs are described, which gave solu on to a design challenge in context (training project), made by students of the Robo cs Lines of Tecnoacademia Risaralda and Tecnoacademia Caldas, in Colombia. Students developed a variety of lightweight prototypes before developing func onal prototypes.
Domestic Robot Prototypes: In Tecnoacademia Risaralda the students designed and built low fidelity prototypes, which they transformed into func onal prototypes using the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit, as shown in Figure 1.
Figura 1. Domestic Robot Prototypes. Figura 1. Domestic robot prototypes: a) Sketches. b) Light prototype front part. c) Light prototype rear part. d) Func onal prototype front. e) Func onal prototype rear. f) Collabora ve work. Space Robot Prototype: Using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 parts, the students built the structures of the wheels based on NASA´s Roker-Bogie system. The best designs were implemented in a prototype that remains in evolu on, it is a robot for explora on and taking liquid samples in irregular terrains, as shown in Figure 2. A first prototype was presented at the III Interna onal Astrobiology Congress in Manizales (Colombia).
Figura 2. Space robot prototype. a) "Rocker-Bogie" suspension system. b) Arm for taking samples. c) Assembling the systems d) Prototype tests. e) Displacement in irregular terrain.
The exercise of carrying out a great variety of prototypes using different phases of a design methodology becomes a challenge for the appren ces, who see how the original idea takes shape step by step, in an orderly, consistent and documented way. The methodology can be applied by using any educa onal robo cs kit; In this case, the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit was chosen due to its availability in the Tecnoacademias. The applica on of the Design Thinking methodology and LEGO Roles allows students to plan their work systema cally using different tools for this, to which they are not accustomed; even so, documen ng what they do in an orderly manner gives them sa sfac on and they feel proud; some of them take photographs of this planning and the first sketches to show to their parents. The valida on and exposure of these prototypes in public, although ini ally it causes them anxiety, allows others to know the ac vi es they do and therefore in the end, they feel proud, understanding that the robot must sa sfy the needs of the user. In addi on, they iden fied their strengths, tastes and interests; This is a star ng point so that later on they acquire the necessary skills so that they can con nue with their training at higher levels or perform jobs related to science and technology that are useful to the community. In the design phase, despite its abstrac on, ideas flow and can some mes become overwhelming, but with the proposal of the mechatronic approach, to divide the robot into the mechanical, electronic (sensors) and programming sub-systems, they go specifying the op ons. In the construc on, the integra on of the mechanics with the sensors allows a coordinated work on the part of the appren ces and the facilitator, giving shape to the abstract. In programming, as the appren ces define it, the robot is given "life", crea vity and collabora ve work flow again to arrive at a defined programming. Finally, tes ng, documen ng and sharing is a rewarding experience for facilitators and students, as it allows other people to understand the process carried out and realize the importance of applying this knowledge in context. The SENA evalua on system consists of verifying whether or not students achieve certain learning outcomes, wich are defined in their training program. For this, evalua on instruments are defined that value knowledge, produc on and product; The prototypes are evaluated by applying such instruments.
There are s ll more tools to be designed and applied on each of the phases of the methodology, these will be carried out in future courses and will help to improve the experience with the students; For their part they could design the mechanical parts in a so ware and print them in 3D, and they could even design their own electronic components.
We thank the Na onal System of Research, Technological Development and Innova on SENNOVA of the Na onal Service of Learning SENA, who finance the research; the directors of Risaralda Regional and Caldas Regional and, especially the subdirectors sof the centers an the leaders of the Tecnoacademias of Risaralda and Caldas 2018, who believe in the power to transform the lives of young people through science, technology and research.
IDEO (2012). Design Thinking para educadores y herramientas. 2ª Edición, version translated by the portal educarchile, of the Ministry of Educa on and Fundación Chile. Retrieved from: h ps://designthinkingforeducators.com/. Consulted in February 2018. MEN Ministerio de Educación Nacional (2008). Car lla No. 30:. Ser competente en tecnología. Una necesidad para el desarrollo y Orientaciones generales para la educación en tecnología. Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia.
Ruiz, E., & Sánchez, V. (1987). La robó ca pedagógica. Centro de Estudios sobre la Universidad CESU, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Salamanca, M. L. P., Lombana, N. B., & Holguín, W. J. P. (2010). Uso de la robó ca educa va como herramienta en los procesos de enseñanza. Ingeniería Inves gación y Desarrollo: I2+ D, 10(1), 15-23.