Robotics

West Virginia | Advanced Manufacturing Technicians are In-Demand

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Examine the skills and education necessary to secure a career in advanced manufacturing technology. Practice solving problems using logic to analyze truth tables and learn how math is used in programmable logic controllers.

How Do Mars Rovers Work Together? | Ready Jet Go!

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Go Beep, you can do it! In this clip from Ready Jet Go!, Jet and his friends watch Beep cross a ravine in the Mars Yard. Dr. Rafferty and Bergs explain that they will give the same commands they gave Beep to her sister Boop on Mars. That way, Boop can cross the ravine on the real Mars. Booyah!

Scientist Profile: Roboticist

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This DragonflyTV segment introduces robotics engineer Dr. Una-May O'Reilly, who designs robots with the ability to function without the help of humans. Her work on artificial intelligence (AI) will eventually give human faces and personalities to robots.

Aftermath of the Attack | Pearl Harbor - Into the Arizona

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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the National Parks Service prepare a ROV (remote operated vehicle) to explore the sunken remains of the USS Arizona. The narrow corridors and twisted wreckage makes navigating a small ROV challenging enough; a human diver would be impossible. Moreover, the USS Arizona memorial is also a tomb—out of respect for the dead, no divers are permitted inside. The team must also navigate preserving the sanctity of the memorial while inspecting its status 75 years since the USS Arizona sank.

NOVA Online | RoboBees to the Rescue

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As colony collapse disorder decimates beehives, scientists at Harvard University are developing mini drones, called RoboBees, to help pollinate our crops. Piezoelectric materials are used to convert electricity into motion to flap the wings, keeping the drones small and light and able to fly. Unfortunately, no one has yet invented a battery small enough or light enough to enable the drones to fly untethered to electric wires. Learn about robot bees in this video from NOVA Online.

Episode 8: A Thing for NASCAR | Road Trip

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We get a closer look at the high-tech fields of motorsports technology, robotics, fire science, machine tool technology and automotive technology in this episode of Road Trip. A nerdish student takes a Road Trip to Lanier Technical College's popular Motorsports Technology Program in order to impress his Nascar-loving dream girl. Featured schools include: Lanier Technical College, Valdosta Technical College, and Altamaha Technical College.

Our Solar System: Exploring Mars

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Students get a special look at the Mars Rover, including a behind-the-scenes tour with a National Air and Space Museum Mars Rover scientist.

Scientist Profile: Mars Rover Engineer

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This DragonflyTV segment introduces NASA roboticist Dr. Ayanna Howard. Her job is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to build robots that can travel into space and other hazardous locations. In this segment, she discusses her work on a rover for use on Mars. Also available in Spanish.

Arizona's Destruction | Pearl Harbor - Into the Arizona

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An 800kg bomb igniting gunpowder and fuel on the USS Arizona caused a massive explosion and left few remains. Survivor Don Stratton views a digitized scan of the ship’s wreckage, still at the bottom of the harbor, created by cutting-edge technology. He recounts what he witnessed that fateful day, supplemented by historical footage.

Shape Shifters: Shape-Memory Alloys and Polymers

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In this video excerpt from NOVA’s "Making Stuff: Smarter", host and New York Times technology columnist David Pogue visits Virginia Tech, where scientists are developing an artificial jellyfish that will act as an inconspicuous motion-detecting buoy for the Navy. The jellyfish is propelled by a shape-memory alloy that returns to its original shape after being exposed to heat. In the related demonstration, students discover some other shape-memory materials that can sense and respond to their environments. They also learn how materials scientists are developing new “smart” materials to help solve problems in engineering, medicine, and everyday life.

Robotics

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