Studying real-world societal problems in a STEM context through robotics

Abstract: In this paper, we will discuss the design and implementation of three educational robotics workshops that focus on the use of robotics for addressing real-world societal problems. Through the workshops, we aimed to investigate how the integration of real-world problems to robotics can provide a multidisciplinary approach for child-robot interaction that allows students to engage with different STE(A)M concepts. In addition, we examined if this integration increased or strengthened students' interest in STEM/robotics education and careers. The workshops were designed and implemented in the context of the European project Educational Robotics for STEM (ER4STEM) with students from different age groups using Lego Mindstorms and Arduino kits.