Robot in the Region!

By Corinna from Moranbah Library

I recently travelled the Isaac region with the NAO humanoid robot called Monty who was provided by the State Library Queensland. During that time I was able to visit 15 schools and had the pleasure to introduce Monty to over 900 children.

Monty seemed to spark an interest for robotics in nearly everyone - and by extension an interest in coding.   Teachers, parents, kindergarten children and school children alike were fascinated by the little humanoid robot that can walk, talk and learn faces.

Travelling to different towns, seeing people of different ages with a variety of computer skill levels, I was able to utilise the full range of the diverse features that NAO has to offer.

While kindergarten children enjoyed pre-programmed applications like the colour hunter, they also learned a lot about Monty’s movements, comparing them to their own, through an application which allows anyone to take Monty’s hand and lead him around the room. I will leave the background giggles and applause up to your imagination!

The unrivalled favourite of Monty’s skills was by far his dance move Gangnam Style, which led the primary and high school children to invent and program their own moves. This picture shows a school class dabbing, a move favoured by nearly every class when given the task of programming a movement for Monty.

My personal experience has me convinced that a NAO robot can combine robotics and coding in a unique and engaging way, making it a wonderful tool for librarians to support and cooperate with schools in the education of young people, as well as providing a learning platform for adults.

Why not invite Monty to your library?

 Monty’s visit to the Isaac region was an invaluable experience. For the 900-odd kids at local schools, it made a big impression and hopefully sowed the seeds for some for a lifelong interest in technology.

Corinna at Moranbah library was able to extend her own knowledge around robotics and coding; building her confidence by taking the time to experiment and design new ways to engage her community, using Monty as an exciting STEM tool as well as a presentation partner whilst out on the road!

State Library of Queensland has NAO robots available to visit your community too - Monty is available for loan to any library in the RLQ network.

NAO robots may also be available for loan by independent libraries for special projects, by arrangement.

For further details contact SLQ on:

3842 9007 or 1800 017 114 or ic@slq.qld.gov.au