Multimedia Robotics Resources!

I am a program design specialist for Exploration Place located in Wichita, KS. I design and run our summer camps for children ages 6-14. Our robot camp is always a favorite of children and adults. This year I am attempting to provide more information about robots including what is a robot, how do they work, what are their components, etc. Do you have multimedia resources that I may be able to use during our week long robotics camp? I would like to find movies, PowerPoints, CD's, DVDs, or any other media available concerning the history, components, uses (past and present) and any other area of robotics.

Lauana Yarbrough
Program Design Specialist, Exploration Place
Wichita, KS

Here is a list of robotics shows and websites that I think you will like. Many of these lead to other sites that may be just as useful.
--Ken Berry ksberry@csun.edu

The History Channel offers a number of videos on robots and robotics, and provides brief sample clips of many.
www.history.com/search.do?searchText=Robotics&targetDB=THC_BB

The Tech Museum of Innovation. TheTech.com has a really nice website on the history of robots. It is full of information and video interviews.
www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/robotics/universal/index.html

Forbes has a really nice site called 25 Great Moments in Robotics History.
www.forbes.com/2006/08/17/cx_de_0817robottime.html

The Computer History Museum has a short history of significant robotics events.
www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=rai

MSNBC offers a nice multimedia slide show.
www.msnbc.com/modules/robot_history/

TrueForce is working on a no frills site that can take you to many
links regarding the historical timeline of robotics.
http://trueforce.com/Articles/Robot_History.htm

NASA kept track of all kinds of cool robots from 1996 to 2003 at Cool Robot of the Week Site:
http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/telerobotics_page/coolrobots.html

Robot Hall of Fame (in development, and a nice page of links).
http://www.robothalloffame.org/

Discovery Channel Video, FIRST Robotics 2004 (download) $1.99, (search for FIRST robotics)
http://shopping.discovery.com/

History Channel DVDs
The Competition: FIRST Robotics, $24.95
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=74274

Robo Warriors, $24.95
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=76841

Tactical to Practical: Episode 35 DVD. In part of the DVD Hunter shows how close engineers are to creating robots like the ones long imagined by science fiction authors.
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=75182

Million Dollar Challenge, DARPA Grand Challenge Autonomous Robot
Navigation over 130 miles in the Desert, $24.95
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=76411

Rubik’s Cube Solving Robots
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkft2qaKv_o
There are many of these proliferating on YouTube. Just search on Rubik’s Cube and Robots.

FIRST LEGO League Nicely edited presentation by Don Griffith at the South Carolina State FIRST LEGO League Competition at USC in Columbia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxa6qI32Dys

Boston Dynamics Big Dog (Unexpectedly compelling quadraped)
www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

Boston Dynamics robotics section videos.
www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=robotics

Animusic, where virtual robots that are instruments are actually tuned and conducted; their CDs are very entertaining.
www.animusic.com/dvd-info-clips.html

2007 FIRST Robotics Season, Every match at SOAP108.
www.soap.circuitrunners.com/2007/movies/

Battlebot video Archive.
www.battlebots.com/videos2/
 
Also take a look at the Robot forum, where you'll find digital images, videos and more. Are you and educator or robotics mentor with questions? Ask Dr. Berry by emailing kenb@botmag.com or posting your question on the forum at www.botmag.com, and look for the answers here.

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