In an elementary school in the heart of Amsterdam, a group of enthusiastic young minds has gathered for a lesson in creativity and innovation. Thanks to NewTechKids technology education workshops, these children and others in schools throughout Amsterdam learn how to make and program their very own robots.
Today’s lesson attempts to answer a difficult question: Can robots make art? First, the teacher shows the class some famous paintings and asks the students if they know them. Then, he talks about different techniques that humans use to create works of art. Finally, he shows a video of an artist who turned his robot vacuum cleaner into a painting machine. Unfortunately, not everyone is impressed.
“That’s not beautiful,” says one of the students looking at the robot painting.
“Well, that’s good actually,” the teacher says. “Because it’s now up to you to make your own.”
“You heard it right,” the teacher’s assistant adds. “Today, your assignment is to create a robot that can make art.”
The teacher’s assistant is actually Ms. Deborah Carter, founder of NewTechKids. She created these classes, especially for children who do not typically have enough access to technology resources. She says what makes her happy is to see classes that are more balanced with regard to gender and cultural backgrounds with all types of people contributing to the future of tech and creative problem-solving.
The students in this particular class have already learned the basics of computer science: sequences, loops, iterations, and if/else logic. All these tools can be used by humans to tell computers what to do. Although there is a lot of math involved, it is not boring at all. Everybody is having fun playing with their robots and computers.
They now have to come up with their own plan to apply what they’ve learned, without step-by-step
instructions. This way, it becomes clear whether they’ve understood a concept or not. It’s also a great exercise for the real world: learning how to work together to solve a big problem.
The students pick up a NewTechKids robot kit and start assembling the parts, which look like Legos. Those unfamiliar with Legos can look at a chart to learn how to use them. Some groups make their robots with long arms with one marker attached to the end for drawing. Others put the markers in the middle of the robot. One group finds a way to attach three different markers at the same time.
After the robots are assembled, the students get on their laptops and teach their creations how to draw lines, circles, zigzags, and squiggles with the help of the teacher. In no time, they’ve put wheels on paper, drawing in all sorts of shapes and colors. After 15 minutes of artistic frenzy, everyone is pretty pleased with their creations.
“We can sell it at an auction and get rich,” shouts one enthusiastic entrepreneur.
Time to quickly clean up and then it’s off to lunch. See you next time new tech kids.
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Deborah Carter
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1196015/8066917
NewTechKids LinkedIn
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https://www.iberdrola.com/culture/computational-creativity-robot-art
This Robot Can Paint. But is it art?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/science/ai-creativity-paintbot.html
Can Robots Make Art?
Robot taps AI to Paint
https://www.cnet.com/science/this-wild-robot-taps-ai-to-paint-whatever-you-tell-it-to/