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PRESS RELEASE — Monday, November 10, 2008
For Information Call Karen Svea Johnson at 208-373-7369
or Anne Peterson at 208-373-7368Meet Robots and Their Inventors on D4K
— Airs Tuesday, November 18, at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT
A robot is a machine that can perform an independent action. That means it takes action and performs tasks without a human telling it what to do. Czechoslovakian writer Karel Capek first used the word "robot" in the 1920s, but he would probably be pretty surprised at today's robots, which do everything from build cars to perform surgery.
On Tuesday, November 18, at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT, D4K host Joan Cartan-Hansen will be joined by Caleb Chung, the inventor of Furby, the first widely released robot, and John Sosoka, Chief Technology Officer for UGOBE, the developer of Life Forms robotic technology. UGOBE produces Chung's latest invention, PLEO, a robotic dinosaur.
They will answer questions that students submit through e-mail to D4K@idahoptv.org, fax in before the show to 208-373-7245 or call in during the live program to 800-973-9800. Students who submit questions can win DVDs for their classroom, so visit the Web site for more information.
Additional information about the topic and links to related Web sites are available at the award-winning D4K Web site: idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/. Again this year, a Web-only show in which the guests answer questions not addressed on-air is available on the Web site. In addition, the on-air program is available in the D4K Web site archives for viewing online.
D4K, produced by Idaho Public Television, airs the third Tuesday of the month throughout the school year and focuses on a variety of science-related topics.