Tag Archives: STEAM

See SPOT Play

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See SPOT walk, see SPOT climb, see SPOT dance! This spring, we had the opportunity to host a very unusual guest at story time!

Meet SPOT, a four-legged robot created by Boston Dynamics. He lives on Princeton University campus and is part of a course titled “Robots in Human Ecology: A Hands-on Course for Anthropologists, Engineers, and Policymakers.” SPOT arrived with an amazing team of undergraduate handlers, plus plenty of plush toys to share.

Vivian Chen, Marisa Hirschfield, Aaron Serianni, Vasumathi Venkat, Zoe Rhodes

We started the program reading Boy + Bot, written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Knopf Books, 2012). The story is about the playful interactions between a boy and a robot, which fit perfectly with SPOT’s dynamic nature. After the book concluded, we had a short, 10 minute design activity in which young future engineers drew their own personal robots, and earned a paw print approval sticker from Team SPOT:

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Then it was time for the big show as SPOT entered the gallery!

The students did a fantastic job putting together a demo, answering endless questions from the audience, and just being enthusiastic about sharing what they study. One of my favorite parts was when they demonstrated how SPOT can be programmed to read and follow fiducials, which are basically QR codes representing numbers. SPOT scans the code, finds the number, and then completes a pre-programmed action associated with the number (like moving forward, turning, or extending his arm).

I asked Zoe Rhodes (seen above) what was the best lesson she learned from SPOT this semester. She replied:

“I would say the best lesson I learned from working with SPOT is the importance of making mistakes. We love it when things work out but most of the time we’re dealing with mistakes. But as I’ve worked with SPOT I’ve realized that these mistakes teach us so much more about ourselves and our capabilities than when things go correctly. It sounds a little cliche to say we learn from our mistakes but that’s really what robotics (and most things in life) are about. SPOT may fall down but we pick him right up and try again. In my opinion this makes the end product so much more fulfilling and exciting.”

I posed the same question to Vivian Chen, who added:

“The best lesson I learned from working with SPOT is patience goes a long way when working with robots and new technology!”

It was a truly magical story time, THANK YOU so much to the students and to professors Alexander Glaser and Ryo Morimoto for putting together such a tremendous program!

Happy Ada Lovelace Day!

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BY KATIE ZONDLO

Every year on the second Tuesday of October, the world celebrates Ada Lovelace Day, which honors the accomplishments of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Started in 2009 as a way to inspire future generations of girls to enter STEM fields as well as support the women already working in STEM careers, groups now host gatherings, conferences, workshops and social mixers that appeal to audiences of all ages.

The day is named after Augusta Ada King, the Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), who is considered the first computer programmer. Using an early general-purposed computer called an Analytical Engine, an instrument envisioned by her friend and mentor Charles Babbage, Ada recognized the 19th century machine could be used for more than just general calculation. She poured over numbers and figures to create an algorithm for the not-yet built computer. Unfortunately, the Analytical Engine was never completed, so Ada wasn’t able to witness the success of her program.

Nearly a century after Ada wrote her algorithm, modern day computers tested the software and discovered there was only one minor mistake that could be easily corrected. The program was almost perfect. In the late 20th century, the United States Department of Defense developed a common computer programming language that was named Ada, in honor of Lovelace and her contributions to the field.

We’re celebrating today by highlighting award-winning author and Princeton alumna Laurie Wallmark’s picture book biography, Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books, 2015). Recipient of the National Science Teachers Association’s Outstanding Science Trade Book and the California Reading Association’s Eureka Book Award, you can find it read here by Story Time With Michele. The book’s truly gorgeous illustrations are by April Chu. Laurie has authored several more books about women in STEM, such as Kalpana Chawla, Judit Polgár, Grace Hopper, and Maria Mitchell!

Ada Lovelace is also featured, along with four other famous scientists, in the virtual escape room I designed, The Discovery Museum.

Images from blog post are from: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, written by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by April Chu. Creston Books, 2015.

 

Pepper’s Ghost, Part II

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this hummingbird 1_edited 1This is not the first Pepper’s Ghost illusion to appear on Pop Goes the Page. Back in 2020, we posted a kid-friendly version featuring a spirited fox. The illusion is basically a reflection trick, but it’s very effective when done right!

seeing spirits   You’ll need:

  • A clear plastic drink container lid
  • Paper (heavier paper or thin cardboard works best)
  • A small section of clear plastic (like the lid of a food container)
  • Scissors and pencil for construction
  • Cell phone

The project was originally designed and posted by artist Joshua Ellingson on his Instagram. First, wash a clear plastic drink lid. Then cut a half circle template out of paper. When you have a half circle that correctly fits at a 45 degree angle inside your cup lid, trace the paper template onto a piece of clear plastic. We used an acrylic gift box, but plastic food containers work great too. Tape the plastic half circle inside the cup lid. The hardest part is getting that 45 degree angle just right. I made about 4 templates before I finally nailed it. Here’s my finished cup with the plastic half circle:

Head to YouTube for a Pepper’s Ghost illusion on a black background. We tried a couple different ones, but had the most success with this hummingbird. Cue up the video on your phone, maximize it to full screen, and lay the phone on a tabletop. Place the cup lid on top. Finally, roll the video and turn off the lights! Your object will appear to float inside the cup lid! It’s really quite remarkable.

The original designer, Joshua Ellingson, also made a GIANT version of this craft with a thrift store bubble chair and his flat screen television. It’s a must see! And Disney’s Haunted Mansion famously employs this illusion, including an entire ballroom of ghosts!