Hand Skills – Doctors of Sewing Needed
3rd June 2019
Because I teach kids robotics, I get to see the dexterity of kids and how long it takes to develop. While our robot kids were doing LEGO for several years, they were pretty good already but the transition to screws, nuts, plyers and screwdrivers was the hardest thing they had to tackle all year. One guy kept snapping the heads off screws, permanently ruining parts we couldn’t now get the screw body out from.
So what is happening to our kids? Well, this article goes over how we have removed shop, hobbies and other activities that develop good hand eye coordination, dexterity and three-dimensional thinking from our kids daily life. Parents would rather give babies an iPad that work with them and the frustration of LEGOs or heaven forbid, have them help them with tools.
This points up an increasing problem. It doesn’t just affect surgeons and dentists — it also spells problems finding carpenters, plumbers, electricians, machinists, welders … you name it, if it requires good hand/eye coordination, we are soon going to be running short. There are a lot of things robots still can’t do.