Students and teachers will be able to participate for free in an artistic cultural program of robotics applied to recycling

Participants will build robots out of trash. (Promotion)

February 24, 2022

09:02


Ívina Garcia – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The enrollment for the Educational Cultural Arts Program – Robotics at Schools started last February 21st and will run until March 4th for five Brazilian cities. The project’s target is children from 6 to 14 years old and teachers from public and private schools. In Manaus, the workshops will be held online and for free.

Manaus receives another edition of the Program organized by Whirlpool Corporation, a company of kitchen and laundry appliances, which seeks to stress the importance of recycling household waste to students and teachers and to empower them as agents of social transformation within the community where they live, as well as to stimulate creativity through robotics workshops, encouraging them to build robots from waste.

“Our idea with this project is to introduce students to notions about garbage disposal and recycling, physics and electricity; and how they can build prototypes that benefit the community, and aligned with sustainable development”, says Abilio Martins, Operational Director of Ecotransforma Produções.

According to data from the Panorama of Solid Waste in Brazil 2021, last year alone, the country generated more than 79 million tons of waste. In Manaus, more than 72 thousand tons of garbage are generated every month by the municipalities.

Based on the Sustainable Goals raised by the UN and aligned with Whirlpool Corporation’s concern to promote activities linked to ESG indicators (Environmental, Social, and Governance), the Robotics at School project schedule is composed of three workshops for students and one Workshop for students and teachers.

The first workshop, entitled “Scrap – Collection and Recycling”, opens the work by making the students aware of the destination of the garbage that is discarded today.

From there, workshops will be offered on physics and electricity that will help them develop robotics prototypes made from trash. All participants will receive a robotics kit that will be distributed through the city’s Education Secretariat with electronic scrap such as wires, fans, 9V batteries, and motors.

The participants will learn how to integrate recycled materials with motors and electricity to build prototypes, and during the execution will use household waste. After the theoretical knowledge, the students will go into practice where they will be encouraged to think creatively about what creations could be transformative for the community.

During the virtual robotics fair, on the project’s website, the students will be able to present the conclusion of their work, and the jury will select the best prototypes built; and these will be posted on the NTICS Projects’ Instagram to be voted by the public through likes. The project that receives the most likes will be awarded a tablet.

The last edition of the Robotics in Schools Cultural Arts Educational Program was held in 2020, in four Brazilian cities and three different states; 121 schools participated generating a direct impact on about 3700 people, including students, family and friends. 900 robotics kits were delivered and 131 projects were presented in the robotics library.

ROBOTICS IN SCHOOLS

When? From March 10 to 24, 2022
Who can participate? Students from public schools in the municipal network, from 6 to 14 years old, and teachers
Information: www.ntics.com.br/programaeducativocultural
Registration: Will be held directly by the schools and to know about your participation, just contact the direction.