The Animatronics Workshop is a different sort of school robotics program where kids develop characters, write scripts, and bring them to life with synchronized sound, motion and lights. Unlike traditional STEM programs that are all about the tech, our goal is storytelling.
Recently, we have focused on paper animatronics, making these projects accessible to teachers in almost any subject for minimal expense, and with little training. What does that look like? Check out this example video of a sample student project that features a paper robot bear explaining the importance of bees: https://bit.ly/bearbees. In this talk, I’ll discuss the history of the program and our current efforts to bring it to schools throughout Canada.
Paul Dietz is a prolific and often whimsical researcher. He is best known for his seminal contributions to multitouch—the interface that is now standard for phones, tablets, and all manner of devices. Other inventions include Parallel Reality displays that appear different to each viewer (winner of Popular Science’s 100 Best Innovations of 2022), ShArc sensors which report their shape, interactive theme park plush toys, and the infamous “self-refilling” beer mug.
After a long career in corporate research (Disney, Mitsubishi Electric and Microsoft) and a startup or two, he has recently returned to academia as a Distinguished Engineer in Residence in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Paul holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon.