Robotics as a branch of engineering involves the design, construction and operation of robots. Robots have very much been a part of our lives for a long time now, working in industry floors and assembly lines. Of late, humanoid robots have emerged to captivate the imagination and excite the interest of humans across the world. Ongoing research and development in the field of robotics and advancements made in the field of artificial intelligence, presents an exciting future for robotics and robots are poised to become more sophisticated and become an integral part of our daily lives.

It is a highly technology driven world that we live in and things as we know keep on changing. It is imperative that we prepare the students for the future and teaching robotics to young students can help in instilling a scientific temperament in them. Subjects such as mathematics and science when taught through robotics can be more engaging as well as effective.Such an enquiry based hands on learning approach can also increase a student’s ability to be creative and foster innovative thinking making them a more productive member of the society.

The job market at present is hugely dominated by ones in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This trend will in all probability get stronger in the future with most of the available jobs requiring STEM knowledge. Robotics empowers students to visually comprehend the concepts on STEM and cultivates problem solving and higher-order thinking capabilities in students. By introducing robotics early on in the school educational curriculum,students can build interest in this field and nurture their talents.

Building a robot involves inference drawing, model construction, testing and controlling a robot calls for the ability to give precise inputs. When done in a team, robotics calls for collaboration and communication for the project to work. This teaches students valuable life skills in teamwork, communication and even community participation. The rationale for inclusion of robotics in education is thus a well founded one and stands on solid ground.

What then is standing in the way of large scale introduction of robotics in schools? Lack of awareness is probably the biggest barrier in the inclusion of robotics in schools. Schools as a center of learning, has in a comical paradox been slow in adopting changes. From a teacher led instruction system to the focus on theoretical learning, schools have not changed much over the years. But things are picking up now and schools have been co-opting technology on an increasingly large scale.

Affordability concerns may also have been a barrier in the inclusion of robotics in the educational curriculum. In the present context however, this concern might not be true anymore as cost of acquiring parts have fallen and with creativity robotics can be done cheap. Stories of young enterprising students who have displayed creative ingenuity in assembling their own robots often from scraps and throwaways have cropped up with increasing regularity. Such stories besides being hugely motivational demonstrate the appeal of robotics and that with creativity it can be easily be taught and learned.