Robot in the Park is raising environmental awareness through creative robot art, first with Robot Butterfly!

This initiative has two parts: a hands-on workshop and public park activities.

We’re running a Robot Butterfly workshop at the Boys & Girls Club (BGC) STEM & Robotics Centre starting mid July. Eight youth participants will each build their own Robot Butterfly (https://robotmissions.org/store/product/robot-butterfly-kit/) from a kit, paying a reduced cost of $25. They will hands-on learn electronics soldering, assembling 3D printed pieces, and firmware programming. They keep their Robot Butterfly and can have it featured in the Robot in the Park activities, where others can interact with their creations.

Our Robot in the Park (https://robotinthepark.org/) public activities run throughout the summer in Kingston’s parks and are free to attend. Perfect for young and old who enjoy learning more about nature and technology. In this real-world adventure game, participants embark on nature-technology quests, using illustrated guide cards to learn facts about wildlife and observe details in nature. To complete the challenge, they interact with the Robot Butterflies nestled near plants, learning how it responds to the environment. We previously ran a similar version in Ottawa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC-aEnBU9cg) which was a big hit with all ages.

We’re proud to partner with BGC (https://www.bgcsoutheast.ca/programs/education-and-stem/). They are one of Canada’s largest youth STEM centres, supporting over 1,200 youth from equity-deserving groups. BGC will manage registration, launching June 20, and host the workshops in their inspiring space.

Support from Awesome Kingston will make these workshops accessible, cover park fees, and supplies. Insurance, which is required for running the activities, has already been covered thanks to Erin’s speaker honorarium from a tech conference.