Discusses the three areas of research and application of artificial intelligence: (1) robotics, (2) natural language processing, and (3) knowledge-based or expert systems. Focuses on what expert systems can do, especially in the area of training. (JOW)

Describes high school students' preparations for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition at the Kennedy Space Center. Provides step-by-step guidelines for participation. (JOW)

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is a national contest that immerses high school students into the world of mathematics, science, and technology. Students get a hands-on, inside look at the world of engineering and technology. (JOW)

With the evolution of the surrounding world market, engineers have to propose innovations in products and processes. Industrial innovation frequently results from an improved understanding of basic physics. In this paper, an approach to accelerate inventive preliminary design is presented. This method combines the main advantages of CBR (Case…

Science educators advocate hands on experiences and the use of manipulatives as important for children's conceptual development. Consequently, the utilisation of "Lego" robotic technologies in teaching and learning has become more prevalent in school science classrooms. It is important to investigate their value as educational tools, particularly…

Robotics is a rich and exciting multidisciplinary area to study and learn about electronics and control technology. The interest in robotic devices and systems provides the technology teacher with an excellent opportunity to make many concrete connections between electronics, control technology, and computers and science, engineering, and…

Sound provides and offers amazing insights into the world. Sound waves may be defined as mechanical energy that moves through air or other medium as a longitudinal wave and consists of pressure fluctuations. Humans and animals alike use sound as a means of communication and a tool for survival. Mammals, such as bats, use ultrasonic sound waves to…

Technical education is, by definition, a field that requires hands-on practice and experience by the student. When it comes to distant learning, technical education suffers from lack of such practical study, given the fact that e-learning is based on theoretical material being provided remotely to the student. This article presents the idea of…

Discusses the need for training and education in new skill areas. Points out that the right people often do not get the right training. Too often engineers and skilled workers are trained to the exclusion of supervisors and operators. (JOW)

Discusses employment opportunities in robotics. (JOW)

Describes the robots used to aid in rescue and recovery at Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The robots were developed as a result of national Science Foundation Quick Response Research Awards. Describes several awards that were made following the attack. (JOW)

A robotics contest encouraged research into robotics and gave students an opportunity to share their work and to build a robot with practical application for use in the home. (JOW)

Research on neural networks and hippocampal function demonstrating how mammals construct mental maps and develop navigation strategies is being used to create Intelligent Autonomous Mobile Robots (IAMRs). Such robots are able to recognize landmarks and navigate without "vision." (SK)

This article presents a formal theory of robot perception as a form of abduction. The theory pins down the process whereby low-level sensor data is transformed into a symbolic representation of the external world, drawing together aspects such as incompleteness, top-down information flow, active perception, attention, and sensor fusion in a…

Chapters in this book include: (1) E-Learning Indicators: A Multidimensional Model for Planning Developing and Evaluating E-Learning Software Solutions (Bekim Fetaji and Majlinda Fetaji); (2) Barriers to Effective use of Information Technology in Science Education at Yanbu Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Abdulkareem Eid S. Alwani and Safeeullah Soomro);…