3D virtual games teach kids how to program robots

A Winnipeg-based company is using 3D virtual models to teach kids the basics of programming robots.

"We all have this feeling that robotics is rocket science.We want to make robotics fun and easy and make it easy for them to want to have a career in technology," said Jack Peterson, CEO of Cogmation Robotics.

"Teaching with robotics allows us to cover the STEM subjects:science technology, engineering and mathematics. It allows us to take away the fear from these kids."

Cogmation's Virtual Robotics Toolkit, developed in partnership with Lego, bringskids intoa three-dimensional virtual environment where they can test-drive robots and learn how to make them work by playing games.

"These days, kids grow up, in fact, they're almost born being able to play video games," Peterson said.

"What we do is we take a 3Dmodel of the Legorobots and an environment could be agame, could be robots on the moon and we make it look like a 3D video game."

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The company also leads workshops that let kids try their code on real robotstoo.It's akid-friendly version of Cogmation'ssoftware that lets grown-upprogrammers around the world design and programon virtual robots to help build better real ones.

"We've done workshops with First Nations groups and at the start of a two-week workshop they don't know what's going on, they're afraid to get started, and then they begin to realize that this isn't rocket science after all, they can do it," Peterson said.

"At the end of two weeks they just are so excited about doing this, in fact, they say, 'Can we come back Monday?'"

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