Empowering Cao Bang through Robotics

Chapter 1: Streets Robotics

Our goals

We want to inspire a love for learning and transform perspectives through hands-on STEM education. By teaching and providing experiences with VEX V5 and VEX IQ robotics to middle school students at the Walking Street, we aim to ignite their curiosity and passion for learning. Our focus is not only on equipping students with technical skills but also on fostering creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. Through these activities, we hope to inspire a new mindset, encouraging students to embrace education with enthusiasm and see its potential to shape their future.

In the, 2023-2024 season we succeeded at VEX Worlds again, we presented the project “Empowering Cao Bang Through Robotics” to provincial leaders, emphasizing the importance of expanding technology access for students and teachers. The support from the Provincial People’s Committee and Cao Bang Department of Education and Training motivated us to implement STEM education activities. On August 30, 2024, we held a robotics experience event at Kim Dong Walking Street in Cao Bang City attracted over 300 students and parents. Using VEX IQ and VEX V5 kits, we organized assembly and programming activities, offering students their first opportunity to interact with robotics. Their passion and creativity inspired us to maintain this event every Saturday evening.

Preparing Process

Idea plan

We split the area into 2 Zones for VEX IQ and VEX V5

For each Zone, we have designed three core activities, each lasting approximately 60 minutes, to ensure a comprehensive and immersive learning experience. In addition to these main activities, we will offer supplementary sessions such as motivational talks, interactive Q&A panels on Robotics and STEM, and hands-on exploration stations to further inspire and deepen participants' understanding. These additional activities will provide opportunities for students to connect with our team members, ask questions, and explore real-world applications of robotics and STEM in a relaxed and interactive setting.

This balanced approach ensures that participants not only gain technical skills but also develop a passion for innovation and problem-solving through a mix of structured learning and open-ended exploration.

Street Robotics Project

Zone 1: VEX IQ - Planning

Each week, we will cycle through 4 engaging robotics lessons designed to build hands-on skills and problem-solving strategies on a distinct topic: Treasure Hunting (remote control and sensor integration), Freeze Challenge (game strategy and driver design), Up and Over (arm mechanics and motor groups), and Tug of War (force optimization and gear systems). These lessons will rotate weekly, allowing iterative practice and refinement of concepts while not make the lessons too boring. Through coding, building, and competition, students will explore robotics fundamentals while fostering teamwork and creativity.

Lesson 1: Treasure hunting

Treasure Hunt Lesson.docx

Lesson 2: Freeze Challenge

Grass Plain lesson.docx

Lesson 3: Up and Over

Up and Over lesson.docx

Lesson 4: Tug of war

Tug of War challenge.docx

Zone 2: VEX V5 - Planning

We noticed that our primary audience in the Cao Bang Walking Street consists mainly of elementary and middle school students. Teaching the entire VEX V5 system to this age group can be challenging, as it requires a significant amount of time and foundational knowledge in areas such as physics, coding, and mechanics. Therefore, we’ve decided to focus on inspiring them through hands-on activities and teaching tactical skills instead. Our approach includes allowing children to drive our robot and introducing them to basic strategies. The experience of controlling a large, fast, and noisy robot is unforgettable, sparking curiosity and excitement about robotics in a way that traditional lessons cannot.

VEX V5 plan

Operation

Zone 1: VEX IQ

Bridging robotics accessibility

Students here have had limited access to robotics in the past. Additionally, the instructional materials and resources provided by VEX Robotics are primarily in English. To bridge this gap, we had to manually translate these documents into Vietnamese and create demonstration videos to make the concepts easier to understand and more accessible for them

Exciting VEX robotics automation

Students are very interested in driving robots and having competitions and interactions with each other. They enjoy trying to make their robots better than their friends’ robots. They also like to see how other students’ robots work and learn from them. But the most special thing is how excited they are about automation code. They think it’s amazing that writing code can make robots move, follow commands, and even act “smart” without human controlling. This makes learning about robots fun and helps them understand VEX Robotics better.

Zone 2: VEX V5

Result and Celebration

In total, we have organized 6 events of this Project every last Saturday from August to January, have reached 300+ people in each event, have taught robotics, and inspired around 300 students; we also have discussed with 100 parents the importance of STEM education.