Look Closer
FirstNews
Issue 420
4th - 10th July 2014
SCIENCE
Hi, I made you
NOTICE anything unusual about the ‘person’ in this picture? Look carefully, as one of them is a
humanoid robot, which has been shown off in Japan by its scientist creator.
The clue is in the glasses, as robots don’t need them!
Osaka University Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro (with the
glasses) introduced a new female robot named Otonaroid,
who will be a guide at the National Museum of Emerging
Science and Technology in Tokyo.
There were a few glitches with the technology, but these
creations demonstrate how robots are changing. But will
robots like these ever replace existing news readers or even
be in people’s homes?
Making robots human-like is not something all scientists
agree with. Some think it is pointless, and even creepy, to
attempt to make them like people. Robot vacuum cleaners
are already in some homes and robots commonly help
build cars, but these look like machines.
This life-sized robot has silicone skin and artificial muscles
and will be on display where the public can meet her.
Professor Ishiguro says this will allow useful research about
how people interact with robots. Ever since the early days
of cinema, robots have been shown as either human-like or
as machines in science fiction films.
If you could have a robot, which would you choose: one
that looks like a human, or one that is more like a machine?
GLOSSARY
Engineers
People who use scientific knowledge and ideas to
solve practical problems. They design and build
machines, engines, computers, materials, bridges,
roads, etc.
HEADLINES
Toys just for boys?
THE bosses of the companies behind some of Britain’s
top toys met for talks with the Government last week.
Minister for Women Jenny Willott is worried that some toys which could
appeal to both boys and girls are aimed at just one gender. At a time when
the UK has a shortage of engineers, and companies are trying to get young
people interested in the career, officials have noticed that most science-based
toys are aimed at boys.
“We’re looking, as well, at the toys that children play with and how it makes
them interested in different subjects,” the women’s minister explained to First
News. She added: “What we’re trying to do is make sure that children’s options
are kept open for them. I think there is an issue with girls not seeing that
science and engineering toys are necessarily for them.”
Learning through news
UK robot research
call
ROBOTS could
roam over
empty power
sites across
the UK soon.
The
Technology
Strategy Board
wants Britain to be the best robotmaking country in the world. It wants
to test how robots work without help
from human beings.
www.FirstNews.co.uk/forschools
Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
Carefully read Science and Headlines then answer the following questions:
Look at the article ‘Hi, I made you.’
Q1) How do the glasses give away which of these ‘people’ is actually human?
(AF3)
Q2) The suffix (word ending) ‘-oid’ means: “resembling”, or “like”.
Can you explain what a ‘humanoid robot’ is? (AF5)
Q3) Why is the photograph a very important part of this article?
Q4) How has the inventor made Otonaroid so realistic?
Q5) Is it important for a robot to look like a human?
(AF3)
(AF2)
(AF3)
Q6) Why do you think some people might describe these robots as “creepy”. (You aren’t given the answer
in the text.) (AF3)
Q7a) Which country are these robots from? (AF2)
Q7b) Look at the ‘UK robot research call’ story. What is the aim of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board?
(AF2)
Look at the article ‘Toys just for boys’.
Q8) Which two groups had a meeting this week?
(AF2)
Q9) Who is quoted in this article and what is her job? (AF2)
Person quoted:
Job:
Q10) Why is the Government concerned about certain children’s toys? (AF3)
Think about all these articles.
Q11) What argument would you make to the toy manufacturers to make them agree that science and
engineering toys should be aimed at both boys and girls? (AF3)
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk/forschools
Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
Carefully read Science and Headlines then answer the following questions:
Look at the article ‘Hi, I made you.’
Q1) How do the glasses give away which of these ‘people’ is actually human?
(AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q2) The suffix (word ending) ‘-oid’ means: “resembling”, or “like”.
Can you explain what a ‘humanoid robot’ is? (AF5)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q3) Why is the photograph a very important part of this article?
(AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q4) How has the inventor made Otonaroid so realistic?
(AF2)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q5) Is it important for a robot to look like a human?
(AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q6) Why do you think some people might describe these robots as “creepy”. (You aren’t given the answer
in the text.) (AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk/forschools
Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
Q7a) Which country are these robots from?
(AF2)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q7b) Look at the ‘UK robot research call’ story. What is the aim of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board?
(AF2)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Look at the article ‘Toys just for boys’.
Q8) Which two groups had a meeting this week?
(AF2)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Q9) Who is quoted in this article and what is her job? (AF2)
Person quoted: ..........................................................................................................................................
Job: ..............................................................................................................................................................
Q10) Why is the Government concerned about certain children’s toys? (AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Think about all these articles.
Q11) What argument would you make to the toy manufacturers to make them agree that science and
engineering toys should be aimed at both boys and girls? (AF3)
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk/forschools
Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
Extension Activities
A) TOYS FOR EVERYONE
Have you noticed that many toys are wrapped in packaging which
suggests the toy is only for boys, or only for girls?
• From your experience, make a list of toys which seem to be aimed
solely at boys, or solely at girls.
• What do you think about this?
• Write a letter to the toy manufacturers explaining the problem, what
you think about it, and what you think they should do.
B) ROBOTS IN BOOKS AND FILMS
Ever since people have started making complex machines, they
have been fascinated by robots, particularly robots which seem to
be human.
• Write down all the robot stories you can think of – from books films.
• Explain what the robots are like in each one.
Extension Activities
A) TOYS FOR EVERYONE
Have you noticed that many toys are wrapped in packaging which
suggests the toy is only for boys, or only for girls?
• From your experience, make a list of toys which seem to be aimed
solely at boys, or solely at girls.
• What do you think about this?
• Write a letter to the toy manufacturers explaining the problem, what
you think about it, and what you think they should do.
B) ROBOTS IN BOOKS AND FILMS
Ever since people have started making complex machines, they
have been fascinated by robots, particularly robots which seem to
be human.
• Write down all the robot stories you can think of – from books films.
• Explain what the robots are like in each one.
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk/forschools
Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
The teacher answers are intended to provide a guide as to the AF strand of the question and possible responses
from pupils working at different levels. In the level 4/5 answers we try to provide the most complete answer
possible in order to provide teaching points when discussing the answers with pupils.
Look at the article ‘Hi, I made you’.
1) How do the glasses give away which of these ‘people’ is actually human?
AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
Possible answers:
L3 – simple inference
• Robots don’t need them.
L4/5 - more complex inference with explanation
• Glasses are needed by humans to solve a problem with their sight. A robot probably sees with cameras, and if there was a problem
the maker could just take the robot apart and fix the cameras - so it will never need glasses!
2) The suffix (word ending) ‘-oid’ means: “resembling”, or “like”.
Can you explain what a ‘humanoid robot’ is?
AF5 – explain and comment on the writer’s uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level
Possible answers:
L3 – a few basic features of writer’s use of language identified
• It’s like a human.
L4/5 – basic/various features identified with simple/more complex comment
• It’s a robot which has been made to resemble, or look like, a human.
3) Why is the photograph a very important part of this article?
AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
Possible answers:
L3 – simple inference
• Because it shows you the robots.
• You need it to guess which one is the person.
L4/5 - more complex inference with explanation
• The photograph shows you what the robots look like. This is particularly important because this inventor is trying to make robots
which look like people. The photograph enables the reader to judge how lifelike they are.
4) How has the inventor made Otonaroid so realistic?
AF2- understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the text
Possible answers:
L3 – identifying obvious points
• He’s made her look just like a woman.
• She has silicon skin.
L4 – identifying relevant points
• She has silicon skin and artificial muscles.
• She is life-size and her face has been made to look as much like a woman as possible, with hair, eyebrows, make-up etc.
5) Is it important for a robot to look like a human?
AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
Possible answers:
L3 – simple inference
• Yes, this scientist is trying really hard to make them as real as possible.
• No, it’s not very important.
L4/5 - more complex inference with explanation
• No, it’s not important. We already have lots of robots which just look like machines, for example: robot vacuum cleaners and the
robots which help build cars. But, this professor thinks it’s interesting and useful to try.
6) Why do you think some people might describe these robots as “creepy”. (You aren’t given the answer in the text.)
Possible answers:
• It’s weird to make robots look like people.
• It’s spooky to see a person and then realise it’s a machine.
• Some people might think it’s ‘creepy’ to have a machine which looks so much like a real person. It seems as if the maker is trying to
Learning through news
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Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
fool you.
• It might make some people wonder where this is leading: will the world one day be full of robots which look just like people?
7a) Which country are these robots from?
AF2- understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the text
Possible answers:
L3 – identifying obvious points
• Japan
7b) Look at the ‘News in Brief’ story. What is the aim of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board?
AF2- understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the text
Possible answers:
L3 – identifying obvious points
• To have robots roaming over empty power sites.
• It wants to test how robots work without help from humans.
L4 – identifying relevant points
• It wants Britain to be the best robot-making country in the world.
Look at the article ‘Toys just for boys?’
8) Which two groups had a meeting this week?
AF2- understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the text
Possible answers:
L4 – identifying relevant points
• The bosses of the companies behind Britain’s top toys and people from the Government.
9) Who is quoted in this article and what is her job?
AF2- understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the text
Possible answers:
L3 – identifying obvious points
L4 – identifying relevant points
Person quoted: Jenny Willott
Job: Minister for Women
10) Why is the Government concerned about certain children’s toys?
AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
Possible answers:
L3 – simple inference
• Because they are made for boys.
• Girls don’t like the science toys.
L4/5 - more complex inference with explanation
• The government is worried that most science-based toys are aimed at boys.
• They are concerned that girls might think these toys aren’t for them, and so might assume that these subjects aren’t for them. This is
bad for girls and bad for the country when we are short of engineers.
Think about all these articles.
11) What argument would you make to the toy manufacturers to make them agree that science and engineering toys should be
aimed at both boys and girls?
AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
Possible answers:
L3 – simple inference
E.g.
• I would say it’s not fair that these toys are only for boys.
• Girls can like science too, not just boys.
L4/5 - more complex inference with explanation
E.g.
• I would explain that science is interesting to boys and to girls. If their packaging makes it look as if science toys are only for boys,
then girls will miss out playing and learning. They might even presume that these subjects are only for boys, which is very bad for
girls and their future careers.
Learning through news
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Look Closer
SCIENCE AND HEADLINES
4th - 10th July 2014
• It is also bad for the country because the UK is short of engineers. If we turn 50% of young people off these subjects, far fewer
people are going to become engineers.
• The Technology Strategy Board wants Britain to be the best robot-making country in the world. Other countries like Japan are doing
very well at making robots, and we are never going to be the best without making science and engineering interesting to both boys
and girls.
Learning through news
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