EPFL scientists have developed an educational robot designed to introduce children to technology in schools. Baptized Thymio II, it will be officially presented to teachers in the Canton of Vaud at the end of November.Creating an original pedagogical tool to get students interested in technology and robotics: this is the challenge that was undertaken by a group of the researchers led by Fancesco Mondada, in EPFL’s Robotics Systems Laboratory. In collaboration with the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), they developed Thymio II, a little programmable white robot, jam-packed with sensors and LEDs, that can exhibit a wide range of behaviours. “We worked really hard on the hardware,” Mondada explains. “Each sensor is associated with a coloured LED, which allows the kids to visualize the activation of the sensors during a specific manoeuver.” The Thymio II robots, which made their debut in May during EPFL’s robotics festival, will be presented to teachers on November 25, as part of a course organized by the cantonal teacher’s college (HEP).
Explorer, coward, investigator, friend The 11 cm x 11 cm robot is equipped with proximity sensors (it can detect close objects), ground-directed sensors (it can detect the edge of a table around which it’s circulating, or a line to follow), accelerometers (It can measure acceleration, detect impacts and indicate gravity), a microphone and a temperature sensor (an electronic thermometer). It also has a memory card for recording sound. After they’ve turned their Thymio II on using buttons on the surface, users get the robot to adopt one of the basic modes, such as friend (follows an object in front of it), explorer (avoids obstacles), coward (detects impacts and empty space) or investigator (follows a line on the ground). By hooking it up to a computer via a USB cable, users can invent and program other behaviours. “You could imagine the robot becoming blue when you put it in the fridge, for example,” suggests Mondada. The programming is done using a software called Aseba, which was developed by EPFL.
“Aseba is a simple language, but it contains the principle concepts of programming,” Mondada continues. The software code is “open source,” available for modification or downloading over the Internet, and rights free. From Lego to programming, by way of physicsThymio II is not just a teaching tool for robotics professors. Thanks to its many sensors, it can also be used to teach physics, when subjects such as gravity, the properties of light and temperature are on the agenda. And thanks to its engaging character, the robot can also be used by children who are too young to understand programming. “It’s possible to stack Lego bricks on top of the Thymio II. Kids can decorate it and play with it to start with, then discover new kinds of behaviour over the Internet, and start to program it when they’ve gotten a bit older.”Will Thymio II be a hit in the schools? Philippe Krähenbuhl , a science and robotics teacher at the Collège du Vevey, is enthusiastic. “Thymio II is inexpensive (about 99 francs), accessible, and very complete.
It leaves room for creativity,” he says. “I appreciate the fact that you can use it in different ways, whether for building with legos, for teaching physics or for teaching programming skills.” For his part, Mondada says he welcomes suggestions from teachers, in order to improve the small white robot even further. Sign up or log in to customize your list. Questions about software related to planning models or programming LEGO robots. What is the best way to program Mindstorms EV3? What set is this remote from? LEGO Mindstorms IDE on macOS flickering I'm looking for a good LEGO Modeling Program Mindstorm 2.0 & Chromebook? Lego Mindstorms RCX RIS 2.0 IR tower Windows 10 64-bit driver Command line tools or text-based IDEs for programming EV3 [duplicate] Does the Mindstorms EV3 software work on macOS Sierra? Where can I obtain the software called “Instructor”? Where can I find a copy of read_binvox.cc Where can I download the LEGO RCX 2.0 programming software for Windows 7?
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Caitlyn Jenner took to [...]Warning: Filthy superhero movie Deadpool is being marketed as a Valentine's weepie WHOEVER is in charge of Deadpool marketing department – bravo. The Ryan Reynolds-driven comic book movie is being released in cinemas next month, so promotion for the film has stepped up into overdrive.But if you happen to have seen a billboard for the film in the States, you may be forgiven for thinking that the film is actually a weepie akin to The Notebook.Capitalising on the explicit film's Valentine's weekend release date, the team behind Deadpool have created some hilarious billboards tricking people into thinking the antihero movie is actually a romance.Ryan Reynolds shared a picture of the advertisement on Instagram, showing him and co-star Morena Baccharin smiling with the tagline: "True love never dies." In fairness, the film does kick off with Wade Wilson cuddling up to his girlfriend as he approaches brutal treatment to obliterate his cancer – so the poster isn't far off.