Why Kids Learn Robotics

Former Fletcher Administration Healthcare Honcho Mark Birdwhistell is back in the saddle at UK and last week he joined the blogosphere.

As a fan of Battlebots, his first post reminded me that there is much more to student robotics competitions than just fun and games.

This past February, 18 students from Dunbar and Henry Clay high schools became members of the first high school team from Central Kentucky ever to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, which is sponsored by Dean Kamen, inventor of the futuristic Segway scooter. Why?

Well, the Jetsons may be history but Rosie the Robot is very much in UK's future.

Mark writes,

One of the most interesting changes that I have witnessed in the UK health system are the robots that travel back and forth between the Chandler Hospital and the Kentucky Clinic transporting lab specimens between these locations. I enjoy watching the astonished patients and their families observe these Robots for the very first time. It is not unusual to see families using their cell phone cameras to take pictures of these fascinating pieces of modern technology! I can't help but have flashbacks to the Candid Camera episodes that I watched when I was growing up in Lawrenceburg Kentucky in the 1960's. In this case, these are not pranks like I witnessed on the black and white TV show, but rather an example of how UK Healthcare is using modern technology to advance health care for Kentuckians.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Mark.