AERobot: An affordable one-robot-per-student system for early robotics education

Michael Rubenstein, Bo Cimino, Radhika Nagpal, Justin Werfel

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

There is a widely recognized need for improved STEM education and increased technological literacy. Robots represent a promising educational tool with potentially large impact, due to their broad appeal and wide relevance; however, many existing educational robot platforms have cost as a barrier to widespread use. Here we present AERobot, a simple low-cost robot that can be easily used for introductory programming and robotics teaching, starting from a primary or middle school level. The hardware is open-source and can be built for ∼$10 per robot, making it possible for each student to have (and keep) their own robot, while still encompassing a rich sensor suite enabling a variety of activities. A free, open-source graphical programming environment allows students without previous programming experience to command the robot. We report on the results of three sessions of a one-week pilot course held in the summer of 2014 by STEM summer camp i2 Camp.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages6107-6113
Number of pages7
EditionJune
ISBN (Electronic)9781479969234
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 29 2015
Externally publishedYes
Event2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015 - Seattle, United States
Duration: May 26 2015May 30 2015

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
NumberJune
Volume2015-June
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Conference

Conference2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySeattle
Period5/26/155/30/15

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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