Virginia Tech Researchers Receive $500,000 Grant to Develop Ethics-Focused Robot Theater Program

Strategic Insights -

In a collaborative effort with the National Science Foundation, researchers at Virginia Tech have launched an innovative after-school program, robot theater, that integrates robotics, artificial intelligence, and ethics education for grade school children. The program, which combines art, dance, music, and performance to explore robotics and AI, has been refined over the past decade and has shown significant success in engaging children with technology through embodied learning.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Virginia Tech researchers received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand robot theater, an after-school program that helps children explore robotics through performance-based learning.
  • The program was conceptualized by Myounghoon "Philart" Jeon, professor of industrial and systems engineering, in 2015 while at Michigan Technological University, and has since been refined over nearly a decade.
  • The grant will enable researchers to add a sharper focus on AI ethics, conduct needs assessments with educators and children, and formalize the curriculum so it can be shared more broadly.
  • The team includes Koeun Choi, associate professor of human development and family science, and Qin Zhu, associate professor of engineering education, whose expertise in child learning and ethics guides the project's new emphasis on robot and AI ethics.
  • Robot theater engages children through four creative modules: acting, dance, music and sound, and drawing, with a focus on embodied learning that introduces ideas about technology and ethics.
  • The program's expanded curriculum will weave in topics such as fairness, privacy, and bias in technology, inviting children to think critically about how robots and AI systems affect people's lives.

Statistics:

  • The grant is worth over $500,000 from the National Science Foundation.
  • The program has been regularly offered at Eastern Montgomery Elementary School, Virginia Tech's Child Development Center for Learning and Research, and the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center.
  • In 2022, the project took center stage in the Cube during Ut Prosim Society Weekend with a professional-level performance about climate change awareness that combined robots, live music, and motion tracking.
  • The program has a decade-long history, starting with its conception in 2015 and refinement for nearly a decade.

Sources:

  • https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/09/eng-ise-robot-theater-nsfgrant2025.html