Boy Scouts approve new robotics merit badge

When I was a kid, I was a Cub Scout, and later a Boy Scout. Like a lot of kids in town, I spent good, wholesome time learning how to tie knots, pitch tents, and start fires. The solutions nowadays are glue, getting the kind of tent that pitches itself and lighters, respectively. Still, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have always taught kids important lessons. Now the BSA plans to keep up with the times by teaching Scouts the value of robotics.

The Robotics merit badge is an addition to the BSA's new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum, which is reaching out to those kids who would sooner build a Rube Goldberg machine than tie a bowline. The badge itself is obviously referential to the Mars Rover, an important robot if there ever was one. 


The golden rule of Scouting has always been "be prepared," and the BSA is keeping true to that. In a press release, BSA Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca said, "While the guiding principles of Scouting— service to others, leadership, personal achievement, and respect for the outdoors—will never change, we continue to adapt programs to prepare young people for success in all areas of life.”


So far, there are 31 STEM-related BSA merit badges, and 26 STEM-related pins and belt loops for Cub Scouts. The Robotics badge was implemented after 14 months of development, and the BSA anticipates that Scouts will collectively earn more than 10,000 of them in the badge's first year. More information can be found at the BSA's website here.