Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) was initiated by a
$1 million grant from
Microsoft Research to
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United ...
and the
Georgia Institute of Technology and announced in July 2006. IPRE is designing introductory
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...
curricula centered on a
Personal Robot
A personal robot is one whose human interface and design make it useful for individuals. This is by contrast to industrial robots which are generally configured and operated by robotics specialists. A personal robot is one that enables an individ ...
. Their vision is that each student will purchase a small, inexpensive robot at the bookstore which they will use throughout their classes in exploring computer science. The hope is that the robot will cost about as much as a textbook. IPRE will develop the hardware, software, and curricular materials for these courses.
The software being developed for introductory computer science courses is called Myro, short for My Robot, and is based in part on Pyro from
Python Robotics. Myro is an interface to communicate with robots. It is designed to be used through a number of computer languages, include
Python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
,
Ruby
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called ...
, and
Scheme.
The robot currently being used is the
Scribbler from
Parallax, Inc. (company) augmented with a small computer board, called the Fluke. The Fluke contains
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
and a camera. This allows any robot that has a serial interface to be controlled through the low-cost Fluke.
History
* Announced in July 2006
* First courses taught at
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United ...
and
Georgia Institute of Technology in Spring 2007
See also
*
Python Robotics
External links
Institute for Personal Robots in Education- details on the Fluke board
Computer science education
Microsoft initiatives
Robotics organizations
Bryn Mawr College
Organizations established in 2006
2006 in robotics
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