Educational project
WEBIE
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Nowadays, voice-assistance devices are becoming more and more common in everyday life due to their ability to be responsive when needed and to perform a series of actions after hearing a password or command.
WEBIE is an Arduino-based voice assistance device that helps children improve their STEAM skills through a series of hands-on, contextual activities. It consists of a kit including tools and materials (measuring cup, food colors, small dinosaur figures, glitter markers...) and a voice-assistance device that guides the child through different STEAM activities.
WEBIE is an Arduino-based voice assistance device that helps children improve their STEAM skills through a series of hands-on, contextual activities. It consists of a kit including tools and materials (measuring cup, food colors, small dinosaur figures, glitter markers...) and a voice-assistance device that guides the child through different STEAM activities.
WEBIE can adapt activity suggestions according to their environment: once the child decides which part of the house to play in, WEBIE associates a STEAM object with the chosen area and adapts the activity to the available materials.
The user experience is simplified to be easily understood by an 8- to 9-year-old child. WEBIE communicates through two different channels: visual and verbal. Two large LEDs, acting as WEBIE eyes, tell the child the state in which WEBIE is (LEDs on: WEBIE is talking; LEDs flashing softly: WEBIE is listening). The verbal channel, on the other hand, refers to WEBIE's ability to communicate verbally with the child and engage in narration with it. WEBIE's communication is structured so that children can associate the voice assistant with a real magician. Considering magic as an essential element of storytelling, dialogues are structured to disguise STEAM activities with magical experiments and potions to make science subjects more engaging, fun, and easy to understand.
The user experience is simplified to be easily understood by an 8- to 9-year-old child. WEBIE communicates through two different channels: visual and verbal. Two large LEDs, acting as WEBIE eyes, tell the child the state in which WEBIE is (LEDs on: WEBIE is talking; LEDs flashing softly: WEBIE is listening). The verbal channel, on the other hand, refers to WEBIE's ability to communicate verbally with the child and engage in narration with it. WEBIE's communication is structured so that children can associate the voice assistant with a real magician. Considering magic as an essential element of storytelling, dialogues are structured to disguise STEAM activities with magical experiments and potions to make science subjects more engaging, fun, and easy to understand.