Inspired by the $35 Rapsberry Pi, professor Ken Goldberg and Ayorkor Korsah started an open contest to design a robot which will cost only $10. The purpose of making $10 robot is to use it as a cheap teaching tool for poor countries specially for African students. The professors wanted to develop something that’s cheap and will help to grow student interest in science, technology and engineering.
Professor Ken Goldberg and Ayorkor Korsah from UC Berkeley launched the contest in August 2012. The contest is part of Goldberg and Korsah’s African Robotics Network (AFRON), a new organization built to bring robots to African people.
This is an open contest, i.e. anyone can take part in it. And, considering the near impossible task of designing a $10 robot, the organizers also called for designs that doesn’t satisfy the $10 mark. There will be a total of nine winners. The first prize winners (3 contestants) will get $500 and one Raspberry Pi each. The second prize winners (3 contestants) will get $250 and one Raspberry Pi each. The third prize winners (3 contestants) will get $100 and one Raspberry Pi each. Besides, there will be “honorable mentions” for additional creative designs. AFRON will publish the winning designs online.
The question is, will it be successful? Can it save Africa? What do you think.
Source : African Robotics Network (AFRON)
Thanks To : Wired
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