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A working, life-size R2-D2 is rolling into classrooms and public events to show young people that robotics, coding and engineering are within their reach.

The Theresa Sondra Jacobs Foundation uses Star Wars-inspired droids, sculptures, modified vehicles and holograms to make science, technology, engineering, art and math education more immersive. Its creations include R2-D2, C-3PO, Stormtroopers and a holographic plea for help from Princess Leia.

Founder Eric Jacobs established the foundation in memory of his mother, Theresa Sondra Jacobs, a career Fairfax County educator who taught art and photography. She died in 2017.

Jacobs, whose foundation title is “Chief Excitement Officer,” said he and his wife wanted to preserve his mother’s educational legacy and continue her mission.

The organization brings its creations to classrooms, comic conventions, auto shows and parades. Its fleet includes a Cadillac Eldorado dubbed the “Executor Dreadnought,” a Death Star-themed Hummer and a Mandalorian-inspired mobile laboratory.

At the 2026 D.C. Auto Show, R2-D2 traveled around the show floor greeting children and adults. Some of the foundation’s other robots speak with visitors instead of communicating only through electronic sounds.

Jacobs said the familiar characters can capture attention despite the steady distractions of phones, apps and scrolling. He has seen that connection among visitors ranging from toddlers to older adults.

“We build things that are interactive, engaging and different and ignite the passion for knowledge,” he said.

One foundation program, i-ARTS — short for interActive Robotic Teaching System — uses the machines to teach robotics, coding, engineering and electronics through hands-on activities. The system can operate in classrooms, laboratories or mobile settings.

The goal is to reveal how seemingly magical technology actually works. Students can see unfinished robots, learn how the machines are assembled and understand that they can build similar projects themselves.

The foundation has visited dozens of schools across Washington and Northern Virginia and hopes eventually to help launch a robotics program at a local school.

Older students can also participate through internships and work inside the foundation’s workshops. One group designed and constructed arms for a robot called “The Professor,” which served as a greeter at a museum exhibition in 2025.

Chief Communications Officer Dave Liddle said education supports everything the organization does. The foundation believes learning should extend beyond textbooks and become visual, interactive and immersive.

For Jacobs, the Star Wars connection is also deeply personal. A lifelong fan, he still has artwork his mother drew for him while she was receiving hospice care. He describes “The Force” as whatever binds people together and said he continues to feel connected to her each day.

A Mobile Search for Future Careers

The foundation’s long-term ambition is to open a career-exploration museum built around the idea of helping visitors “find your future.”

Jacobs said many students finish high school without knowing which career they want to pursue, while many college students change majors during their first year.

The proposed “FutureQuest” experience would let young people and adults investigate careers ranging from underwater welding and air traffic control to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work. The foundation envisions companies providing career information while its team supplies holographic displays, robots and interactive panels.

Before securing a permanent location, the organization plans to take FutureQuest to schools in a mobile laboratory styled after the Razor Crest spaceship from “The Mandalorian.”

The foundation is seeking funding for the project along with business partners that can contribute career-related information and activities. Its central aim, Liddle said, is to inspire curiosity, reinforce classroom lessons and help young people discover possible paths for their futures.