The Westport Library long ago branched out from books, newspapers and magazines.
From a fantastic art collection to DVDs, CDs and Blu-rays, to a cutting-edge Maker space and 3D printer, our li’l ol’ library has served a broad range of interests, tastes and technologies.
Get ready now for robots.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that library officials have acquired a pair of humanoid NAO Evolution robots. The main object is to teach “the kind of coding and computer programming skills required to animate such machines.”
One of the Westport library’s new robots. (Photo/Danny Ghitis for the Wall Street Journal)
Westport, the WSJ says, is the first public library in the nation to offer instruction using “sophisticated humanoid bots made by the French robotics firm Aldebaran.”
According to library director Maxine Bleiweis, robotics is the next big technology — so it should be made accessible to everyone, to learn about it.
Bleiweis adds that from economic and job development perspectives, this is an important step.
The library will debut the robots October 11, with programs and workshops to follow.
Unless the robots have other ideas.
(Click on the full Wall Street Journal story.)