New Web Site
Visit our new web site at www.TeRK.ri.cmu.edu. The new site includes the first public release of complete robot recipes and software. Please update your bookmarks as we will no longer be maintaining the site at www.cs.cmu.edu/~terk.
Mailing List
If you are interested in joining the TeRK mailing list, send us an email. We will use the mailing list to keep you informed of major developments in the TeRK project.
Project Timeline
- Jul '05 - Beginning of TeRK project. Initial web site launch. Firmware development and initial robot design begin.
- Jul '06 - Targeted first public release of TeRK API, two robot recipes, and new web site.
The TeRK project aims to make educational robotics accessible to a large community of college and pre-college students as well as home and hobby robot enthusiasts. To this end TeRK includes the development of affordable robot designs that can be built with hand tools and commercially available off-the-shelf parts. TeRK also includes the development and evaluation of a library of curriculum to accompany these robots; development of a robot embedded electronics package; open-source software libraries; and a web community where curriculum, software, and robot designs can be readily exchanged.
Our Vision:
To catalyze creativity, foster technological empowerment, and inspire learning by transforming robotics into an accessible and collaborative tool for exploration.
Our Mission:
To design, create, and disseminate robotics curricula and technologies that motivate young women and men to actively explore science and technology.
We believe that:
- Girls have as much natural ability in technology and engineering as boys, and unlike more classical science and technology instruction, robotics education captivates girls and boys equally.
- A key reason for low diversity in technology fields is a poor retention rate among women. Our classroom studies demonstrate that robotics-based curricula strengthen the appeal of science and technology to women, stemming low retention and creating true diversity.
- Early adoption of robotic systems in learning leads to a conceptual understanding and lifelong appreciation of science, technology, and engineering.
Our plan:
Technologies for ubiquitous and portable computing have reached a critical mass, allowing us for the first time to create affordable robotic systems that are sophisticated and rewarding. These systems present the potential for a small revolution in the usage of robotics and allow us to formulate learning experiences and curricula which use robots, but impart knowledge that is applicable beyond robotics. By openly providing robot designs, documentation, and software, we will lay a foundation for self-sustaining communities that contribute to and evolve both the technology and the curriculum well beyond what we initially create.
News
- 04 Aug 06: Public release of our new web site, www.TeRK.ri.cmu.edu, and first public release of robot recipes and software.
- 05 Jun 06: Beta release of robot API and new web site. Watch for the public release next month.
- 05 May 06: The Qwerkbot recipe, the first robot recipe that will be published on the web, is almost ready.
- News Archive