07 Feb, 2018

Robot Dance-Off at the City Library

In a dance competition with a difference, South Australian students will get the chance to program a robot to ‘dance to the music’ at a dance-off to be held at the Adelaide City Library.

Everybody Dance NAO is a free programming contest that gives primary and secondary school students a unique opportunity to program a NAO (pronounced ‘now’) humanoid robot in a virtual 3D environment using the ‘Choregraphe’ software.

NAO is the world’s most widely used humanoid robot for education and research. NAO is a 58 centimetres tall, autonomous, and fully programmable robot that can walk, talk, listen, and even recognise faces.

The competition is being held in partnership with Brainary Interactive, specialists in supplying educational technology.

Schools are invited to register teams to create the best NAO robot dance, culminating in a dance-off.

Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Martin Haese, said that that robot dance-off would provide a fun environment for students to learn about robot technology and coding.

“Technology is advancing rapidly and it’s vital that our students are well-equipped with knowledge and experience in this area to give them the best opportunities in the future.

“The Australian Committee for Economic Development is predicting that almost 40 per cent of Australian jobs will be replaced or drastically transformed by robotics and other automated technologies.*

“NAO robots are a powerful – and just as importantly, fun - tool that enable students to practise hands-on coding, while working in a team environment.

“I look forward to seeing the robot ‘bust a move’ at the final dance-off in March.”

A NAO robot masterclass will be held at the Adelaide City Library on Wednesday 7 February from 4pm-6pm. This will provide information on how to use the Choregraphe software.

Teachers will then work with their students at school to program their dances using the virtual robot within the software, which will be submitted online for shortlisting.

The top ten teams will be invited to the final dance-off where the NAO robot will perform their dances. A panel will judge the competition, with the winner announced on the day. Each dance will go for up to 45 seconds.

The dance-off for the shortlisted teams will be held at the City Library on Saturday 24 March between 11am-2.30pm, with the final dance-off from 3pm-4pm.

Registration details can be found at www.brainaryinteractive.com/everybody-dance-nao/

*Source: Braineryinteractive.com

Paula Stevens