The emotional appeal of robots and robotics technology for children and young adults is difficult to overestimate. Educators have found that this fascination among young people can be leveraged to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as robotics itself. Since robots represent a practical application of physics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics, robotics technology can be used to teach and physically demonstrate concepts within these disciplines.
It has been well established that robotics can be employed successfully as a tool for education and learning facilitation, particularly as it applies to STEM. The positive results also dovetail into larger social and political agendas operating at the national level in all industrialized states. As a result, Robotics Business Review expects that robotics will soon be taught in every elementary, middle and high school, along with most colleges, across the industrialized world, as a subject unto itself or as an education enabler. This presents many opportunities for solution providers that have products and services targeting the educational robotics market.
This article describes the business development and commercialization opportunities in the educational robotics market. It examines market drivers, along with the learning theory and research foundation for the use of robotics as a teaching facilitator, and why knowledge of these elements is key for developing and marketing educational robotics products. Also included is a look at the adoption of educational robotics and an overview of the various submarkets that contribute to the overall educational robotics market, including commercial opportunities in each.