[Soft and Hard ideas to improve interaction with robots for Kids and Teacher](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo_Pina/publication/229019858_Soft_Hard_ideas_to_improve_interaction_with_robots_for_Kids_Teachers/links/54ad00e50cf2479c2ee86817.pdf)
### [A Two Years Informal Learning Experience Using the Thymio Robot](https://infoscience.epfl.ch/search?p=author%3A%5BRiedo%2C%20Fanny%5D&ln=en)
* Summary
* Intro: Looking for educational robotic kits, 1) early robotic languages using Bee-Bot (convienient but limited) arduino robots are not as limited, 2) provide teacher w/ computer supported sceneries to enrich robotic activities
(Intro) There are many educational robots that university students use to learn more about robotics, engineering, and computer science. But they are expensive and too complicated for kids to use. The team wanted to develop a robotic kit for kids that promotes creativity and learning, but at a low cost. (Question) Could they develop an educational robot at a low cost that would sustain the interest of kids in elementary and middle school? (Approach) Educational STEM toys are packaged and sold as kits to then be assembling into a robot, Thymio wanted a modular (arrangeable) design so the robot could become a kit. The idea being that one could use the Thymio to create their design by taking it apart and using other materials. (Methods) To test their goal and question, the team hosted workshops at a robotics fair for kids to build their own robot using Thymio. (Results) The first Thymio and workshops were a success, but when the kids took it home, their parents reported that they did not use it often. The team introduced 3 different workshops and topics, animal-making, obstacle passing, and cardboard workshop and adjusted the space and time of the workshops. It attracted different age and interest groups. The Thymio team came to the conclusion that this was because it had only 3 behaviors. (Methods) The second version of Thymio included more electronics, imported programming possibilities, and a better processor. It was able to be used with lego sets, which made the robot less intimidating for new users. (Results) Parents were very satisfied with the workshops, and each workshop was always full, popular, and highly acclaimed. (Conclusion) The Thymio team is working to develop teaching materials for those in classrooms and other settings to reproduce the workshops. They have also set up a wiki with examples of usage and programming the robot, and the software is downloadable for free. While the team was able to develop an educational robot at a low cost that prompted creativity and learning, ultimately the goal was not met because they were not able to sustain the interest of kids. They hope that the second version of Thymio will find a community that can create new programs to run it and share their ideas. Again they want to accomplish developing a robot to serve as a basic tool that is accessible to all, to teach robotics or other fields to kids.
* Conclusion: research is still ongoing, arduinos for the win because it has versatile programming languages, tangible interfaces (start, end, robot) real and virutual (graphic display and software) and real (table), table???
[A Two Years Informal Learning Experience Using the Thymio Robot](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-27482-4_7)
* Summary
* Intro (Abstract): need to educate younger generations about common tech, robots are really good educational tools: Why? 1)fascinating and attract attention, 2) they move and react to environment (are perceived to living things), 3) are multidisciplinary systems and illustrate tech principles in electronics, mechanics, computer and communication science, 4) have many applications fields: medical, industrial, agricultural, safety…
There are lots of robots for education and entertainment but non fit educational tool: criteria= promotes creativity and learning, entertaining, cheap and powerful
### [Soft & Hard ideas to improve interaction with robots
* Problem:
for Kids & Teachers ](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo_Pina/publication/229019858_Soft_Hard_ideas_to_improve_interaction_with_robots_for_Kids_Teachers/links/54ad00e50cf2479c2ee86817.pdf)
* Solution: Thymio robot creation and distributing it over 2 year @ workshops, Paper goes into Design Principle, educational context, and analysis with parents over children’s use
* Conclusion:
[The e-puck, a Robot Designed for Education in Engineering](http://users.softlab.ntua.gr/~ktzaf/Courses/epuck-robotica2009.pdf)
### [An End-to-End System for Designing Mechanical Structures for Print-and-fold Robots](https://people.csail.mit.edu/mehtank/webpubs/icra2014.pdf)
* Summary
- Intro:
(Problem) Still difficult to build personalized robots with tools due to necessary specialized engineering skills. (Solution) Rework of entire design process for every day person to create personalized robot, no engineering skills required. (Question)(Goals) Resulting process to be intuitive, versatile, and extensible, allowing quick and easy design of sophisticated robot bodies. It uses cheap and easily available software and hardware tools and raw materials, making it accessible to a casual hobbyist. (Background) Robots are being used for more and more things, including academic research, educational outreach, or general household use. (Approach) (Methods) (Results) (Conclusion) With an idea of what the user wanted to create, Python code is able to create a body for a robot using rules and algorithms which then give the user a variety of options. Power of robotics comes from customizability in the system design. (Goal) To enable the general general public to personally design and create individualized robots, non specialized users must be able to go from problem specification to device fabrication rapidly and repeatedly. Paper presents a tool-box-like system to simplify and streamline the design and manufacture of printable robot bodies. (Process) Mechanical structures are fabricated in an origami-inspired process where in precision patterned and cute 2D sheets of plastic are folded into 3D elements. Designs for these structures are generated by hierarchically composing simpler building blocks, starting from a library of basic primitives. These designs are then fabricated using an inexpensive desktop paper/vinyl cutter. (Idea) A new end-to-end rapid design and fabrication paradigm that specifies mechanical robot bodies by hierarchically composing simpler components. (Process) An abstraction was developed allowing for mechanical components to be described by scripts, a few designed primitive components plus rules and algorithms for composition were then sufficient to generate a wide array of robot mechanisms and bodies.
- Conclusion:
### [Cogeneration of Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Designs for Printable Robots from Structural Specifications](https://people.csail.mit.edu/mehtank/webpubs/iros2014.pdf)
(Intro) Combination of 3 elements/structures (mechanical, electrical, and software) to create a full working robot. (Goal) The long-term objective is to develop a hardware compiler that can start with functional specifications of a desired system and automatically design and fabricate a robot to accomplish those. (Solution) Vision with a system to simultaneously generate the mechanical, electrical, and software components of a robot from its structural specifications, allowing non-experts to easily design electromechanical systems with custom specifications and then quickly and inexpensively fabricate the designed robot. (Question) Is it possible to create a full-fledged robot taking by using mechanical, electrical, and software designs?
### [Integrated Codesign of Printable Robots](https://watermark.silverchair.com/jmr_007_02_021015.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAiwwggIoBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggIZMIICFQIBADCCAg4GCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMiC0pUEkufst6VgFCAgEQgIIB38Hpei4vUk9iK5YUpGOzembT0qTWQ4duuJIP_0VjhAQ34dzfCeyI_FpWuYPDlJkbZa4SLEg84hv3Z9okVanlrpWBtPnwagu5wdlFVEaXd8kOc0LR3XGddIXckoICe756fukmZz3pm2xMCp3fydaGXWsWCQNNTGwpl8l0x_yu9jx4yEy2K5wIRuxWGWmOXszuLLAt2t6xKlfeXZEa6jZrp1sNA9XtE2yFxQGR0qvhCiCeG68eN9dhH_nf1rvM4ZSR9YWXoQm4uRmY_6XFcFooPeo0wFLIEi9oLcGZVz4u4O8gx2zZ90AlO38qNVcVRleoTesfwFF5uO99XqG_DOl9BIi7sjBRKCvYbEXQbR8DTKNFQePIY_Teoa69YVo0H7kIEHIgIc6B8a8_8T8xoVn6PKjzDAY8fLibmORC3pLhWh_OI52wGPG6Gl4ATiq8Uk4FoCBLWAu1x4bh5l9qSZEiYzx-KUgp3ZYIUSIO1Lpes9fHvn4EWDiyEz07SOQiTbVTh9YjWgzdmHxa8h5K8GBOvs0ldW8lzxp1eORbEyeLx8XfXBV9g37y8MlbC0eVO-GpR743TJ9_FidnJnxU0LV9ntkdCWeIEd4X7pw2Pro9yruEKXX_NWnQp7UMf0Hzvwe2)
(Intro) (Problem) Creating a new robotic system requires domain-specific expertise across a range of disciplines, including mechanics for the structural body, electronics to connect sensors and actuators, and software to specify behaviors. (Solution) The long-term objective is to develop a hardware compiler that can automatically design and fabricate a robot to accomplish desired goals from functional specifications of the required tasks. (Background) (Question) (Goals) This paper takes a step toward that vision with a system that allows non experts to simultaneously generate mechanical, electrical, and software designs from a custom structural specification, and then quickly and inexpensively fabricate the designed robot. (Approach) (Methods) Component hierarchies are compiled by the system into a col- lection of files necessary for a user to manufacture the specified design: The mechanical structure is made using 2D or 3D rapid fabrication processes from generated fabrication drawings, the user assembles the electrical subsystem onto that structure guided by a bill of materials and wiring instructions, and firmware gets loaded onto the central microcontroller. (Results) In hours, the high-level structural specification of a desired device was able to be realized into automatically generated fabrication files, control software, and UIs, creating immediately usable robots complete with driver interfaces and autonomous behavior. (Conclusion) A unified design environment allowing users to create robotic mechanisms from a library of integrated mechanical, electrical, and software components. System begins with a database of mechanical, electrical, and software components, encapsulated in a common abstraction suitable for modular composition.
