Understanding the brain is a profound and fascinating challenge, captivating the scientific community and the public alike. The lack of effective treatment for most brain disorders makes the training of the next generation of neuroscientists, engineers and physicians a key concern. However, much neuroscience is perceived to be too difficult to be taught in school. To make neuroscience more accessible and engaging to students and teachers, Backyard Brains is developing neurorobots for education: fun and affordable robots with cameraeyes, wheels, WiFi and artificial software brains modeled on real biological brains. The neurorobot kit will allow students to investigate meaningful realworld questions about mind, brain and behavior by designing artificial brains that make the robot?s behavior lifelike, sensoryguided and goaldirected. In Phase I of this project, students will work in groups to investigate the question ?Why does my dog come to me when I call?? by designing neural networks that make the robot approach when called for. While the robot moves around in the classroom, students will be able to observe its visual sensory input and the flow of activity between its neurons on a smartphone or laptop, and interact with the brain using voice commands and a ?reward button? that drives learning. By designing, testing and analysing neurorobot brains, students will acquire a practical understanding of neurons, synapses, neural networks, brain functions, and the relationship between brain and behavior, and develop important computational thinking skills and selfconception as neuroscientists. For Phase I we will develop neurorobot hardware and software, and collaborate with education specialists to develop and evaluate a short highschool instructional unit around neurorobots. Our overall Phase I goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and educational value of using neurorobots to teach highschool neuroscience. Our unique combination of lowcost robot hardware, innovative curriculum, and easytouse applications makes our product appealing to our large highschool, university, and amateur customer base. For Phase II we will expand the curriculum and the capabilities of our neurorobot kit, and create an online forum where students and teachers can share brains and discuss experiments. Our longterm aim is to encourage education policy makers to adopt neuroscience requirements by demonstrating an effective neuroscience curriculum organized around brainbased neurorobots. By combining neuroscience, a multidisciplinary field that spans biology, medicine, psychology, mathematics, and engineering, with robotics and a projectbased approach to learning, our neurorobots and curriculum will improve STEMeducation and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and physicians.
Backyard Brains is developing neurorobots for education: engaging and affordable robots with artificial software brains based on the latest neuroscience research. The robots and associated lesson plans will enable students to learn neuroscience by creating artificial brains that make the robot?s behavior lifelike, sensoryguided and goaldirected. By giving teachers and students access to neurorobotic technologies previously only available in research labs, we aim to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and physicians.
