Materials
- Any robot/technology
- A camera
- materials with different temperatures and surfaces, e.g. ice cubes, hot water in a bottle, fabric, soft/smooth and rough/hard.
Implementation
The children test their own body sensitivity compared to the sensitivity of a robot. A group of children is shown the robot and the different materials. Each child starts by stretching out one arm. The educator takes an ice cube and rubs it against each child‘s skin to feel the cold. Make a short film of the children‘s reactions. Show the film to the children and talk about their reactions: How did it feel? Now take the ice cube and put it on the robot‘s „skin“, how does the robot react? Discuss the difference between the children’s and the robot’s reactions. Do the same with all the materials and be creative, have fun.
Preparation
Prepare alle the different materials and the robot by placing them on the floor or on the table, depending on where you want to do the activity. Set up the camera or hold it yourself. Be aware if you are holding the camera during the activity, the children may be more focused on the camera than on the activity.
Variation
Use a robot with sensors that are affected by for example different temperatures. Have a discussion about whether a robot have actual feelings or is only imitating feeling.
The project "I'm not a Robot: working with artificial intelligence in early childhood education" is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. The European Commission´s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflect views only of the authors. The commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This work is licensed under: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
