Improving Outreach Interactivity in the Virtual Environment – Evaluation of A Computer Vision Controlled Soft Robotic Hand to Broaden Participation in Bioengineering

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

Abstract Student attitudes toward mathematics and science are developed during middle and high school. Hands-on features of outreach activities can positively impact the disposition of middle and high school students toward STEM. Lockdowns and school closures limited participation in outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, these programs were limited for students in many in low resource or rural schools. The necessity for virtual learning environments over the past number of years inspired the development of new outreach activities for young students to interact with engineering projects remotely. Most solutions presented in literature involve a completely virtual experience. To address students' desire to interact with physical products of engineering and leverage the benefits of physically interacting with engineering devices, we built and tested a new tool for outreach: a physical prosthetic hand that can be operated by students from their own homes. In this paper we describe the development an interactive experience to teach K12 students about prosthetics, medical devices, and soft robotics by controlling a laboratory-based physical robotic hand via webcam that is reliable in a variety of contexts. To evaluate this curriculum, we also present results of a mixed methods approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the tool and students' perceptions of engineering as a result of using the tool. Previous research has shown that new materials in soft robots may foster robotics interest for a diverse population of students and expand students' ideas about what robots do and how engineering can be used in human-centered design. A soft robotic hand that can be controlled virtually by mimicking simple hand gestures via webcam. Open source computer-vision software, commonly used in social media applications, recognizes human right hands using a webcam through video conferencing software. After developing the interactive tool, we tested it both in functionality and participant perception. Results from data collected in this work describe response times of the tool in virtual and in person scenarios with data collected from over 60 participants. We also detail the challenges to implementing with variable webcam resolutions and in busy classroom environments, as well as the criteria needed for successful implementation. We also present data on student perceptions of the activity. Data collected through Institutional Review Board approved surveys reveals positive attitudes toward the activity, student perceptions of robotic hands and the importance of realistic finger structures, specifically for students interested in bioengineering, and new ideas about how students relate robotics to human-centered design. The results from this study provide insight into (1) creating accessible outreach curricula, (2) expanding the applications of robotics in outreach, and (3) building pre-college curricula that impact student perceptions of and interest in engineering. The goal of the new outreach tool is to highlight human-centered applications of robotics and to enable remote outreach, broadening access to engineering. Post pandemic, this virtual, hands-on outreach may expand access to engineering for students in rural areas or with limited access to pre-college engineering.