Introducing Neuroscience and Neurocomputation Concepts to High School Students using Brain-based Neurorobots

PROJECT SUMMARY Understanding the brain is a profound and fascinating challengecaptivating the scientific community and the public alikeThe lack of effective treatment for most brain disorders makes the training of the next generation of neuroscientistsengineers and physicians a key concernHowevermuch neuroscience is perceived to be too difficult to be taught in schoolTo make neuroscience more accessible and engaging to students and teachersBackyard Brains is developing neurorobots for educationfun and affordable robots with camera eyeswheelsWiFi and artificial software brains modeled on real biological brainsThe neurorobot kit will allow students to investigate meaningful real world questions about mindbrain and behavior by designing artificial brains that make the robot s behavior life likesensory guided and goal directedIn Phase I of this projectstudents will work in groups to investigate the questionWhy does my dog come to me when I callby designing neural networks that make the robot approach when called forWhile the robot moves around in the classroomstudents will be able to observe its visual sensory input and the flow of activity between its neurons on a smartphone or laptopand interact with the brain using voice commands and areward buttonthat drives learningBy designingtesting and analysing neurorobot brainsstudents will acquire a practical understanding of neuronssynapsesneural networksbrain functionsand the relationship between brain and behaviorand develop important computational thinking skills and self conception as neuroscientistsFor Phase I we will develop neurorobot hardware and softwareand collaborate with education specialists to develop and evaluate a short high school instructional unit around neurorobotsOur overall Phase I goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and educational value of using neurorobots to teach high school neuroscienceOur unique combination of low cost robot hardwareinnovative curriculumand easy to use applications makes our product appealing to our large high schooluniversityand amateur customer baseFor Phase II we will expand the curriculum and the capabilities of our neurorobot kitand create an online forum where students and teachers can share brains and discuss experimentsOur long term aim is to encourage education policy makers to adopt neuroscience requirements by demonstrating an effective neuroscience curriculum organized around brain based neurorobotsBy combining neurosciencea multidisciplinary field that spans biologymedicinepsychologymathematicsand engineeringwith robotics and a project based approach to learningour neurorobots and curriculum will improve STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientistsengineers and physicians PROJECT NARRATIVE Backyard Brains is developing neurorobots for educationengaging and affordable robots with artificial software brains based on the latest neuroscience researchThe robots and associated lesson plans will enable students to learn neuroscience by creating artificial brains that make the robot s behavior life likesensory guided and goal directedBy giving teachers and students access to neurorobotic technologies previously only available in research labswe aim to inspire the next generation of scientistsengineers and physicians