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New at Chabot Space & Science Center —
Weekend Programs on Robotics
January through March 2001

(January 2, 2001, Oakland, CA) — Robotic hands that talk, do-it-yourself robots, and robotic games are all part of a new series of weekend programs at Chabot Space & Science Center in the Oakland Hills. Weekend Spotlight: Robotics, featuring hands-on activities, lectures and demonstrations designed for children, youth and curious adults, takes place every Saturday and Sunday through March 2001, from 12:30pm to 2pm, and 2:30pm to 4pm.

Visitors can see if they have what it takes to be a robot in the activity Robot for a Day, which occurs every 30 minutes, from 12:30pm to 2pm, and 2:30pm to 4pm on weekends. Other activities include a demonstration by Roger Gilbertson of his Cye Robot on January 20; and at 2pm on January 20, February 17, and March 17, a Ralph Fingerspelling Hand Demonstration by David L. Jaffe, a Research Biomedical Engineer at the Rehabil-itation Research and Development Center of the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, talking about Ralph, a robotic hand that is able to communicate with deaf and blind people using fingerspelling.

On Saturday, February 24 , Robot enthusiasts from around the Bay Area will gather at CSSC to share their creations at a Robotics Expo.

Visitors can also use their imaginations to name CSSC's K'NEX Vox Centurion Robot, in a Robot Naming Contest running through January 31. The author of the chosen name will win two Movit Soccer'bot kits!

Several of the Robotics activities are offered on a drop-in basis, and participants may wander in and out any time. These include:

January 6 - 7	Robot Factory -- Use your imagination to create a robot out of recycled items such as film canisters, colored paper, and styrofoam peanuts! When it's all glued together, you can take your robot home to do your bidding.
Sat., Jan. 6	Robot Course Challenge -- Learn how to program a robot to navigate a maze.
Sun., Jan. 7	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot -- Command human "robots" in a series of activities.
January 13 - 14
Sat., Jan. 13	Soccer Robots -- Play robotic soccer, without using your feet.
Sun., Jan. 14	Robotic Arm Docking -- Turn your friend into a robotic arm to accomplish your docking mission.
January 20 - 21	Sat., Jan. 20 Roger Gilbertson demonstrates his Cye Robot.
	2-2:30pm Ralph Fingerspelling Hand Demonstration -- David L. Jaffe, a Research Biomedical Engineer at the Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, will talk about Ralph, a robotic hand that is able to communicate to people who are deaf and blind using fingerspelling. The program includes discussion of fingerspelling and the evolution of the Ralph project, a demonstration, and a video showing a deaf-blind person using the device.
Sun., Jan. 21	MazeBots -- Help the robot in the computer find its way home!
January 27 - 28
Sat., Jan. 27	Robot for a Day -- See whether you've got what it takes to be a robot.
Sun., Jan. 28	Lego Mindstorms -- Experiment with programmable Lego robots.
February 3-4
Sat., Feb. 3	Robot Course Challenge -- Learn how to program a robot to navigate a maze.
Sun., Feb. 4	End Effectors -- Simulate an essential part of a robot to test out and take home.
February 10-11
Sat., Feb. 10	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot -- Command human "robots" in a series of activities.
Sun., Feb. 11	Robotic Arm Docking -- Turn your friend into a robotic arm to accomplish your mission.
February 17-18
Sat., Feb. 17	Soccer Robots -- Play robotic soccer, without using your feet.
	2-2:30pm Ralph Fingerspelling Hand Demonstration (see Jan. 20 description)
Sun., Feb. 18	Robot for a Day -- See whether you've got what it takes to be a robot.
February 24-25
Sat., Feb. 24	Chabot Robotics Expo. -- Robot enthusiasts from around the Bay Area share their creations
Sun., Feb. 25	MazeBots -- Help the robot in the computer find its way home!

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