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Robotic Labs In India To Make Students Job-Ready In The Age Of AI

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A regular reader of business-specific topics, he has extensive experience in entrepreneurship and consulting in the foreign soils like the United States, United Kingdom, and Gibraltar.

Traditionally, schools focused on theory-based learning, giving minimal importance to practical knowledge. However, with the introduction of technology-enabled teaching-learning practices, digital classrooms and e-learning solutions are now gaining popularity in the Indian education system. Schools have started realizing the need of keeping up with the demands of the technology-driven world and are thus introducing robotics in the curriculum. It not only prepares students for the future but also helps them develop interest in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

Robotics Lab
Children these days are fascinated by robots. The movements of a robot, the ways of controlling it as well as the programs that manage a robot are the major areas that intrigue children. When students get an opportunity to explore robots and learn about them on their own, they will develop a better understanding about the intricacies and capabilities of robots. Be it nurturing creativity amongst learners, encouraging them to explore and innovate or developing 21st century skills, robotics is all about empowering learners.

Advantages Of Introducing Robotics Lab In The K­12 Curriculum
Students develop and hone the following skills and qualities while learning robotics.

21st-Century Skills
21st-century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication are developed in learners in the course of their learning robotics through different activities like designing and developing the robot, formulating a strategy to program it and resolving issues and bugs.

Out-Of-The-Box Thinking
Robotics fosters out-of-the-box thinking by empowering learners to give shape to their imagination by making the best use of theoretical concepts.

With The Introduction Of Technology-Enabled Teaching-Learning Practices, Digital Classrooms And E-Learning Solutions Are Now Gaining Popularity In The Indian Education System


Perseverance
Working through complicated situations while developing and programming robots helps students develop perseverance to successfully complete tasks. This is a crucial quality required to successfully complete every technological or scientific activity.

Interdisciplinary Learning
To develop a fully functioning robot, it is essential to know STEM subjects. Robotics provides students with a good opportunity to gain command over STEM subjects. Thus robotics facilitates interdisciplinary learning.

Collaboration And Teamwork
Creating a robot promotes a collaborative learning environment and students automatically learn to work in teams.

Problem-Solving
Since designing and developing a robot is a challenging task and getting it correct in the first attempt might not be always possible, it is essential for students to think innovatively and fix the problems.

Decision-Making
There are various ways of designing and programming the robot, hence students should be exposed to various scenarios so that they learn to analyse situations from various angles and deduce the best way to solve a problem.

Active Learning
Since robotics cannot be mastered solely through theoretical understanding or practical application, students should be able to comprehend and quickly grasp new techniques when the need arises. This helps them be active learners.

Programming Skills
Robotics helps students learn programming in a simple and tangible way.

Robotics In India
According to Markets and Markets, schools are expected to spend $640.5 million on robotics products and curricula by 2023. So, it is clear that the significance of robotics is growing in the global academic sphere. However, it is still in its nascent stage in India. According to a global report, there are only 3 robots per 10,000 employees in India, which is not enough considering the rapid industrial growth in the country.

To change this and prepare the young students for the future, the Government of India has established Atal Tinkering Labs in schools across the country. These labs aim to develop design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning and more among students. By working with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and participating in hands-on activities, students will develop an interest in STEM subjects and robotics.

The rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics has impacted several industries along with the education sector. The demand for AI-skilled workers and robotics experts is growing rapidly. Robots are soon going to take over humans in solving complex problems. However, to create those robots we require human intelligence and people well versed with the necessary design and development skills. So, it is the need of the hour to introduce robotics in the K­12 curriculum. This will not only allow students to understand the STEM subjects and concepts better but also build a strong foundation for learning and prepare them for a future dominated by artificial intelligence.