Virtual TJBot
Introduce programming, cognitive technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to students by helping them bring their own Virtual TJBot Robot to life!
Activity Duration
1 Hour
Preparation Time
1 – 2 Hours
Estimated Cost of Materials
no cost
Audience Age
11 – 19
Topic
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning
Languages
English
Details
This Activity Kit introduces students to cognitive technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) by helping them connect to a virtual TJBot robot. This virtual robot can be configured to use any available Watson™ cloud service such as Watson Assistant (chatbot), Speech to Text and Text to Speech. In addition to using existing programming recipes, students can unleash their creativity and create new recipes to bring the Virtual TJBot to life using Watson™ services. The Virtual TJBot uses the iPad to connect to Watson services and emulates the physical TJBot's behavior.
There is also a physical version of this Virtual TJBot Activity Kit where students create a physical robot out of cardboard and a Raspberry Pi. Please see additional information on the physical TJBot.
- An IBM Cloud account for the instructor
- iPads for students – One iPad per 3–4 students works well
- The room must have powerpoint presentation capabilities
Instructions
- Review the TJBot Activity Kit Start Guide
- Learn about the origins of the Virtual TJBot and read some background to make getting started and facilitating the activity easy
- Explore the Virtual TJBot Swift Playground on Github
- Review presentation materials
- You will need to enable the TJBot Swift Playground on an iPad. Read the instructions on the Virtual TJBot Swift Playground. You will also find helpful troubleshooting tips on this site
- Register for an IBM Cloud account if you do not have one already.
- Ensure you have a clear idea of how to assemble and enable the Virtual TJBot and that you know where to find troubleshooting guides in case you need them on the day of the activity
- Ensure you have a working iPad and that you have successfully enabled the Swift Playground
- Practice your powerpoint presentation and connecting the iPad to the Virtual TJBot
- Present the powerpoint to the students to get them excited about building a Virtual TJBot!
- Provide instructions for students to use the iPad. The Virtual TJBot will require students to download the Swift Playground following the link below. Then, search for "Installation." The Playground contains information about how to connect with Watson Assistant and connect to the Virtual Bot. If students also have a physical TJBot, they can also connect their iPad to the physical TJ Bot with a low energy Bluetooth connection. Find details on how to link a Physical TJBot to the Swift Playground below.
- Start creating & have fun!
Facilitation Materials
IBM Cloud Account Information for Volunteers
IBM employees are encouraged to use their internal IBM Cloud accounts, which include all Lite services at no charge. IBM volunteers can also register for a Lite account following the link below. Questions can also be posted on the IBM Volunteers Slack channel.
Both IBM volunteers and non-IBM volunteers who require Cloud access beyond a Lite account are encouraged to request access to the IBM Citizenship Cloud by sending an email to citizenshipcloud@ibm.com with the following subject line “Citizenship Cloud Access.” In the body of the email, please outline what cloud resources you need and which Activity Kit will be used. Students will get appropriate access directly from their teachers. Volunteers who only require a Lite account do not need to ask for access to the IBM Citizenship Cloud.
Further learnings
Learn more about the original TJBot and the launch of the Virtual TJBot.
Learn about machine learning techniques and how they are being applied to businesses today
Learn more about artificial intelligence (AI) on IBM Developer.