Local inventor preserves Indigenous culture, language through robot [Video]

SAN DIEGO — Inside her home workshop, 24-year-old Danielle Boyer is revolutionizing how Indigenous youth connect with technology and their heritage.

Boyer, founder of The STEAM Connection, created SKOBOTS — animal-shaped robots that perch on shoulders and teach endangered Indigenous languages. The interactive devices help students learn traditional words, starting with “bozho,” which means hello.

“When you lose your language, you lose a lot of your culture, and you lose an ability to communicate with each other about your culture and very meaningful things,” Boyer says.

As a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe, Boyer understands firsthand the barriers Native American students face in STEAM fields. Indigenous peoples comprise just 0.4% of the engineering workforce, according to Northern Arizona University.

“There was a local robotics team, but it was hundreds of dollars to participate. When you don’t …