✦ Academic Year 2026-27

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Open enrollment for school partnerships · 100% free curriculum

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CMU Girls of Steel Affiliated · Grades 8–10

Robotics & Machine Learning Education

Where curiosity
becomes engineering.

We help schools form student-run robotics clubs and provide a complete Python and machine learning curriculum with asynchronous video tutorials — offered at no cost to every participating school.

Request a Workshop Read Our Charter
◆ Youth-Led Initiative
◆ CMU-Affiliated Founder
◆ Zero Cost to Schools
15

Partner SchoolsSpanning municipal and private institutions across Mumbai

2,500+

Students EnrolledGrades 8–10, zero prior STEM experience required

"Imagination over resources — that is the only prerequisite for innovation."

— Sophia Shetty, Founder & Program Director
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences — STEM Outreach Division
Python & ML Hands-On Robotics Club Formation Free Enrollment
Our Charter

A mission rooted in
equity and access

We believe that every child deserves access to the world of robotics and artificial intelligence — no matter their background, school budget, or available equipment. Robotics On Paper is a youth-led initiative that makes cutting-edge STEM learning tangible with materials as humble as paper, string, and bottle caps.

Our free 45-minute workshops introduce origami actuators and popsicle-stick scissor lifts to students who have never before held a circuit board. We then stay with each school, helping them build a lasting student-run robotics club backed by our full asynchronous curriculum.

01
45-Minute Introductory WorkshopsHands-on sessions with origami actuators and scissor lift models — no prior experience required.
02
Student-Run Robotics ClubsWe help schools launch and sustain their own clubs with mentorship, resources, and curriculum access.
03
Python & ML CurriculumA complete, asynchronous video tutorial program — freely available to every participating school.
04
Local Material KitsEach kit costs just ₹170, sourced entirely from locally available household materials.

₹170

Per Student Kit

Every kit is assembled from locally sourced household items — paper, string, bottle caps, popsicle sticks — making robotics achievable everywhere.

100%

Free for Schools

Workshops, curriculum, video tutorials, and club support are provided at no cost to every participating school and student.

Approach Pillars

Accessible · Engaging · Inclusive · Long-Term. Designed for lasting impact through shared learning and sustained community.

Academic Program

A curriculum designed for every learner

Four learning pathways — all free, all asynchronous, all designed for students with zero prior STEM background.

Module 01

Foundations of Mechanical Design

Students build origami actuators and popsicle-stick scissor lifts to understand force, tension, and motion using only household materials.

Hands-On Build
Module 02

Introduction to Python

A beginner-friendly video curriculum covering variables, loops, functions, and logic — delivered asynchronously with guided exercises.

Asynchronous Video
Module 03

Machine Learning Principles

Accessible ML concepts — classification, training, and inference — taught through visual examples before any code is written.

AI Literacy
Module 04

Student Club Capstone

Teams design, build, and present their own paper-based robots. Clubs document their work for future cohorts, sustaining the learning cycle.

Club Project
📚

All modules are freely licensed and provided to every participating school. Asynchronous video tutorials ensure students can learn at their own pace, with or without a facilitator present.

Program Impact

Measurable progress.
Lasting change.

15Partner SchoolsAcross Mumbai
2,500+Students ReachedGrades 8–10
₹170Cost Per KitLocally sourced
100%Free for AllZero cost to schools

✦ Partner Institutions · Academic Directory

I.Theresa High School
II.Nityananda High School
III.Vile Parle High School
IV.St. Joseph School
V.Mumbai Public School, Kandivali East
VI.Chikuwadi School
VII.Lalji Trikimji School
VIII.Sodawali Municipal School
IX.G.S.S. School, Majivada
X.Yashodhan Nagar School
XI.RJ Thakur School
XII.Shivai English School
XIII.Saraswati Vidyalaya English School

From municipal schools to private institutions — inclusive across all learning environments.

Sophia Shetty, Founder & Program Director
Sophia Shetty Founder & Program Director
Grade11th — United States
TeamGirls of Steel Robotics
Affil.Carnegie Mellon University
Contactsophia.shetty@roboticsonpaper.com
LinkedIn@RoboticsOnPaper
Program Leadership

Driven by purpose.
Guided by scholarship.

Sophia Shetty is an 11th-grade student from the United States and a proud member of Girls of Steel Robotics, a Carnegie Mellon University-affiliated high school robotics team — one of the most celebrated youth engineering programs in the country.

Inspired by her own experience with competitive robotics, Sophia founded Robotics On Paper to ensure that access to transformative STEM skills is never gated by geography or resources. She believed that a student in a Mumbai municipal school deserves the same intellectual excitement as a student in a well-funded lab — and then she went and built it herself.

Through her initiative, Sophia has reached more than 2,500 students across 15 schools, all while attending school herself.

"When we bring robotics to kids using materials as simple as a soda cap or a paper hinge, we show them what innovation really means — imagination over resources."

— Sophia Shetty, Founder & Program Director
Enrollment & Partnerships

Open to all.
Join the program.

Whether you lead a school, volunteer as a facilitator, or wish to sponsor learning kits — the program is open. Every contribution advances the next generation of engineers.

For Academic Institutions

School Partnership Program

  • ◆Free 45-minute workshop sessions delivered to your students
  • ◆Complete DIY robotics kits — all materials provided
  • ◆Full Python & ML curriculum with asynchronous video tutorials
  • ◆Ongoing guidance to launch a student-run robotics club
Request a Workshop
For Volunteers & Donors

Community Scholars Program

  • ◆Volunteer as a workshop facilitator or curriculum mentor
  • ◆Sponsor student kits at just ₹170 per student
  • ◆Help identify and onboard new partner schools
  • ◆Contribute to content creation and community outreach
Join the Initiative