RoboEdu: Unlocking the Magic of Robots for Everyone

Abstract

Developing a successful educational robotics platform is a challenging task that requires significant time and financial resources. While r1 universities such as the University of Michigan have the means to develop robotic platforms for robotics courses institutions with lesser funding, such as minority-serving institutions or tuition-free institutions, may face difficulties in establishing adequate robotics platforms. To address this challenge, the University of Michigan has developed the M-Bot, an affordable educational robotics system that aims to lower the barrier to entry for institutions interested in developing their own robotics courses. The RoboEdu project aims to further this effort by creating an open-source modular web framework that provides an easy-to-use set of tools for students and educators alike. The M-Bot web framework includes a user-friendly web-based graphical interface for students to interact with their robots. Additionally, the M-Bot web application offers educators a robust set of tools to create their own add-ons to the framework, making it easier to develop web-based tools for educational robots.