A Robot That Speaks Native Languages

Danielle Boyer wants to make robotics more accessible to Indigenous youth. She is Ojibwe, a member of the Sault Tribe in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Growing up, she saw a lack of science and technology education within her community. So when Boyer turned 18, she founded STEAM Connection. Through this organization, she designed build-your-own robot kits and distributed them and other resources to Indigenous students.

The group’s most recent creation, called SkoBot, is worn on a person’s shoulder. It can communicate in a variety of Indigenous languages. Putting together the robots helps students learn both engineering skills and Native languages—many of which are at risk of dying out in the United States. “I take a lot of inspiration from my community,” says Boyer, now 22. She hopes her robots will help pass on Indigenous culture to the next generation.