FULL - Workshop: Digital Literacy & AI Robotics Course
SFPL presents a beginner-friendly, four-session workshop designed to demystify AI and robotics through no-code, hands-on learning. This program offers a practical, engaging introduction to how modern technologies in AI and robotics are shaping our world, with remote access to real robots and graphical, code-free interaction. The course runs as a 4-session series across February 2026, giving newcomers a solid foundation in digital literacy and the basics of AI robotics.
What you’ll get
- A practical, no-code approach to understanding AI and robotics, suitable for absolute beginners with no programming experience
- Teleoperating a remote robot arm and doing simple tasks using graphical interfaces
- An introduction to how computers perceive the world, including basic computer vision concepts and image analysis
- Hands-on activities that connect concepts like APIs, connectivity, and path planning to real-world robot behavior
- Remote live instruction provided by Scaleup Robotics AB, with remote robot access for session activities
Session schedule (all dates in 2026):
- Session 1 — February 7: Introduction to Robotics, core AI technologies, remote robot teleoperation basics, and practice making a robot follow patterns
- Session 2 — February 14: Connectivity, what a Web API is, how robots connect via API, coordinate systems, and basic graphical programming (Blockly) with a dance and patrol challenges
- Session 3 — February 21: How robots see the world, image pixels, background removal, contours and center-point detection, and a pick-and-place challenge
- Session 4 — February 28: Object detection in camera images, AI robotics and computer vision experiments, and reflections on how robotics and AI may shape the world
Format and accessibility
- The program is hosted by the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) with remote live instruction via video link and remote robot access
- In-person participation is available at SFPL locations; all SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible
- All programs are drop-in unless otherwise noted, though reservations are requested for the full series. Call 415-557-4388 for series reservations or accessibility accommodations (availability may vary)
- The program is conducted in English unless otherwise noted
- The session may be filmed or photographed for archival and promotional purposes; participants can request not to be photographed by informing staff or the photographer
About the providers and how to participate
- This course is
automationai agents