A Novice-Friendly Networked Educational Robotics Simulation

Abstract

Despite its potential for STEM education, educational robotics remains out of reach for many classrooms. Physical robots have an upfront purchase cost, maintenance requirements, storage space, and many more costs and logistical challenges involved in their use. Through simulation, many of the barriers to entry present in physical robots can be reduced or eliminated. This work presents RoboScape Online, a browser-based networked educational robotics simulation platform that aims to make robotics education more accessible while simultaneously expanding the breadth and depth of topics taught through it.

RoboScape Online has several features that make it a valuable tool for educational robotics. It provides cloud-hosted virtual robotics simulations, enabling distant students to not only participate, but collaborate and compete in real-time. RoboScape Online is built on top of existing robotics support in NetsBlox, a block-based programming environment designed for distributed computing education. The scenarios available in the simulator are entirely implemented as NetsBlox projects, allowing students to create their own. Additionally, tools have been created to assist students in creating their own scenarios. This both expands the domain of projects available and provides a clear demonstration to students of the capabilities and flexibility of the programming language.

The potential of simulation includes the addition of new sensors and actuators otherwise infeasible for classroom use. To enable these new devices, a second contribution focuses on a NetsBlox metaservice which automatically generates web service interfaces coherent with the existing ones students use for other tasks in NetsBlox, based on a description provided by the device itself.

A series of classroom case studies have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of RoboScape Online in an educational setting. Primarily, two studies done with the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt are featured. These studies found that use of this new platform in the classroom can improve students’ computational thinking skills and attitudes towards STEM subjects.