Dr. Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, introduced KidBright AIBot, ASEAN’s first AI teaching robot, to the public at KidBright Developer Conference 2019 held on 27 November 2019 in Bangkok. Developed by NECTEC-NSTDA, KidBright AIBot is designed to teach block coding and programming to students, important skills for artificial intelligence technology.
KidBright AIBot is among the projects and activities launched under the ministry’s campaign “AI for All” in order to promote Thailand to become an AI Nation. AI for All aims at developing manpower young kids to professionals in AI field, supporting innovators and entrepreneurs to carry out the R&D and application of AI, and promoting AI industry.
In 2017, NSTDA launched Coding at School, a project designed for Thai children to learn about computer programming through a new learning media called KidBright. Invented by NECTEC-NSTDA, KidBright is an embedded board developed as a tool for kids to easily learn about coding through coded sets of command which connect with various types of sensors, enabling Internet of Things (IoTs). To date, 200,000 boards have been manufactured and distributed to schools across the country, and “train-the-trainer” sessions have been organized for teachers and educators. KidBright contest was held with participation of students nationwide.
KidBright Developer Conference 2019 (KDC19) was a gathering of teachers and students participating in the Coding at School project. The event showcased student’s projects that entered the KidBright contest, as well as featured inventions that incorporate the use of KidBright.
Not only did KidBright make an impact on STEM education, it also boosted Thai AI industry. Recently, KidBright technology has been licensed to two companies for commercial production.