Mendieta, One Robot Per School: Multi-user Robot for Technology Education

Abstract

In recent years, the use of physical computing devices in Argentinian schools has been growing steadily. The insertion of robotics in the classroom allows addressing a set of technology-related subjects, such as mechanics, electronics, and programming. It is no coincidence that the Argentine educational system has incorporated these subjects into its curricular design, as well as the introduction of new technical schools aimed at programming and robotics. However, the cost of the equipment, the difficulty of maintenance, and the technical knowledge required to be able to properly use this resource in an educational context are limiting factors that hinder the potential to reach all schools. For these reasons, a project has been designed to overcome these difficulties: a low-cost autonomous robot controlled by an Arduino Nano, with a web server built into an Orange Pi computer, which allows programming by multiple users at the same time, queuing the execution orders in such a way that with a single device an entire class can work seamlessly. This allows the introduction of robotics in a school with a cost of less than USD 180. Additionally, all the development of both hardware and software is open source, offering the community a framework for building other robots with the same architecture.