Organization of the robotoy contest

Abstract

Since 1999, a group of professors and students at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of the Université de Sherbrooke has been organizing a robot design contest. The challenge is to design a mobile robotic toy to help autistic children develop social and communication skills. The idea is to see how robots could help autistic children open up to their surroundings, improve their imagination and experience less repetitive behavior patterns. The pedagogical objective is to get students involved in a project that has technological considerations and social impacts. Such an opened and multidisciplinary design project requires careful preparation and the implication of students, faculty and experts. This presentation aim at describing the organization of the RoboToy Contest, to get other universities interested in such rich and fruitful initiative for all.