Offline Programming to Control Robot Manipulator in Virtual Kinematic Learning Tool

Learning tool based teaching is an important way for pre-school education. It pays more attention on teaching comparing with toys. Virtual learning tool is one of the trends of learning tool development and application. Compared with practical material tool, virtual learning tool has a strongly competitive advantage in perceptible dimensions, expanded reusability and status saving. But its development was greatly constrained by the lack of technology supporting good operational interaction. The appearance of multi-touch technology gave us a new idea and motivation. The conception of multi-touch virtual tools was introduced in this paper and its application was demonstrated by the development and experiment of a virtual learning tool software called "e-Wa Sketchpad".

The design and evaluation of virtual learning environments for construction and surveying students is presented in this paper; by combining virtual learning environment and on-site student surveys to model and replicate practice in the architectural heritage sector. The Virtual Learning Environment is enhanced with real live survey projects whereby students collect the data to build virtual historic buildings from onsite surveys using advanced survey equipment. The survey data is modelled in HBIM; Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is currently being developed as a virtual learning tool for construction and surveying students in the Dublin Institute of Technology. HBIM, is a novel solution whereby interactive parametric objects representing architectural elements are constructed from historic data, these elements, including detail behind the scan surface are accurately mapped onto a laser or image based survey. The architectural elements are scripted using a Geometric Descriptive Language GDL. In the case of this project a Virtual Learning Environment is being developed which combines advanced recording and surveying with Building Information Modelling (BIM) to simulate and analyse existing buildings.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper presents a novel approach to automated robot programming and robot integration in manufacturing domain and minimizing the dependency on manual online/offline programming. Traditional industrial robots programming is typically done by online programing via teach pendants or by offline programming tools. This presents a major challenge as it requires skilled professionals and is a time-consuming process. In today’s competitive market, factories need to harness their full potential through smart and adaptive thinking to keep pace with evolving technology, customer demand, and manufacturing processes. This requires ability to manufacture multiple products on the same production line, minimum time for changeovers and implement robotic automation for efficiency enhancement. But each custom automation piece also demands significant human efforts for development and maintenance. By integrating the Robot Operating System (ROS) with vision-based 3D model generation systems, we address these challenges effectively. A ROS-based framework has been developed to automate the manual offline robot programming and enable real-time task optimization for performing manufacturing operations such as painting, welding, and torquing. The proposed framework—Capture → Connect → Compile → Create—using RGBD camera systems to record 3D point cloud data and part details. It then connects the complete points, annotate features, interprets edges and tasks to be performed and then convert into executable robotic programs. This method significantly reduces manual programming efforts and enables rapid deployment of robotic systems across diverse tasks. The paper outlines the system architecture, implementation methodology, and integration strategy within existing manufacturing lines. Through autonomous robotic programming, this approach enhances mass customization and boosts overall manufacturing efficiency. The proposed system offers a scalable solution for smart factories aiming to achieve high productivity, flexibility, and reduced operational costs.</div></div>

The purpose of the study was to examine students’ learning experience with Google Meet, a virtual learning tool in tertiary contexts in Vietnam. The explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used with the participation of 188 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Vietnamese students at a private university in Vietnam. Findings from both the questionnaires and focus group interviews show that the students have a positive learning experience with Google Meet. Particularly, they perceive that breakout rooms in Google Meet enhance their interaction with their lecturers and peers and promote their sense of community in virtual learning classes. Additionally, the flexibility of virtual learning facilitates learners to solve learning-prevented problems, such as internet connection and power outage. Furthermore, blended learning is perceived as a highly preferred learning mode even after the pandemic. Based on the results, pedagogical strategies are implicated to maximize the effectiveness of virtual classes.

This chapter describes a new approach of educational robotics (ER) aimed at empowering higher cognitive functions in school. As robot programming requires mentally planning complex action sequences before the motor act, ER may promote several crucial cognitive processes underlying learning. During robot programming, the child has to first set the target, second sequentially think through the steps needed to achieve that target, then verify the goal, and eventually reset the plan. All these mental acts involve executive functions (EFs), which are complex higher cognitive processes, crucial in early development because they are the base for abstraction and logical reasoning, decision-making, sequential thinking, and maintaining and updating information in memory and problem-solving. Robot programming may empower EFs not only by improving top-down cognitive control, working memory, and inhibition skills but also by placing the child, more than other passive thought technologies, in front of “objects to think with” in a group setting that stimulates the use of EFs for social and emotional purposes. Recent studies demonstrating, through a rigorous and scientific approach, the effect of ER on EFs in typical and atypical development will be discussed.

Educational Robotics (ER) is a tool that can favor teamwork, stimulate creativity, and the ability to solve students' problems through the process of assembling and programming robots. In this sense, ER has been used to improve educational practices. There are several initiatives that seek to stimulate Computational Thinking (CT) to stand out. Although ER being used to develop CT, there are still no guidelines based on scientific studies that support this use. The objective of this Research Full Paper is to identify: a) the main pedagogical approaches are applied in classes with ER focused on developing students' CT; b) the central difficulties are encountered in classes with ER focused on developing students' CT; c) the CT skills are presents in classes with ER focused on developing students' CT; d) the instruments are used to assess students' CT during classes with ER; e) the students' profile who participated in classes with ER focused o on developing students' CT; f) the educational robotics technologies are adopted in classes focused on developing students' CT. To achieve these goals, we planned and carried out systematic mapping of the literature. The results show that, through ER, CT is approached through the teaching of programming languages in a collaborative way in Early Childhood and High School. The most CT skills observed are related to programming, such as sequencing, algorithm, loop, generalization, decomposition, and debugging. The main instruments for assessing students are tests, and the most significant difficulty is the limitation of class hours. Finally, LEGO® is the most used technology in class.

There is a growing literature concerning robotics and creativity. Although some authors claim that robotics in classrooms may be a promising new tool to address the creativity crisis in school, we often face a lack of theoretical development of the concept of creativity and the mechanisms involved. In this article, we will first provide an overview of existing research using educational robotics to foster creativity. We show that in this line of work the exact mechanisms promoted by robotics activities are rarely discussed. We use a confluence model of creativity to account for the positive effect of designing and coding robots on students' creative output. We focus on the cognitive components of the process of constructing and programming robots within the context of existing models of creative cognition. We address as well the question of the role of meta-reasoning and emergent strategies in the creative process. Then, in the second part of the article, we discuss how the notion of creativity applies to robots themselves in terms of the creative processes that can be embodied in these artificial agents. Ultimately, we argue that considering how robots and humans deal with novelty and solve open-ended tasks could help us to understand better some aspects of the essence of creativity.

A novel mending robot is designed in this paper. The system consists of a robot which has a microphone array corresponding to humanpsilas ears and a virtual reality robot teleoperation system. Leaky point localization is realized based on time delay of arrival (TDOA) estimation using robot hearing. The robot can get to the leaky point and mend leaky chemistry container via virtual reality teleoperation system. Virtual robot and virtual environment are set up according to the real scene. Virtual robot is the agent of the real robot. Data glove is used to operate the virtual robot to complete the control towards the real robot. It can make the operator control the real robot to find the leaky point fast and conveniently. The system was tested in chemistry factory: robot could find the leaky point successfully and accomplish the mending task smoothly. A great deal of experiments prove that this robot mending system is reliable and efficient.

The use of simulation and visualization tools to validate mechanical designs and programming for robots has become increasingly important. Being used in many scenarios, simulators have collaborated for research in machine learning, deep learning and training of professionals. Nowadays, with the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing, simulators have great potential as a tool to help in the teaching of robotics. However, research indicates that the user may encounter differences between what happens in the simulator and in real life, this effect is called reality gap. This article aims to investigate the effects of this gap in an educational robotics simulator, named Virtual Robotics Toolkit (VRT), as well as its impacts on the testing of algorithms and to propose strategies to reduce the impact of this effect. Three batch tests were carried out on two different robots, both in the simulation and in the real world. By capturing data from sensors such as tachometer, infrared, gyroscope and a light sensor, it was possible to compare the performance in the two scenarios and their differences. Finally, the entire test field and models were made available along with videos of some tests.

Fourth Planet, Inc. - Santa Clara, CA 95054Formerly:NASA Ames Research Center - Intelligent Mechanisms GroupMoffet Field, CA 94301flueckiger@dmt.epfl.chABSTRACTThe expansion of robotic systems’ performance, as well as the need for such machines to work in complex environments(hazardous, small, distant, etc.), involves the need for user interfaces which permit efficient teleoperation. Virtual Reality b asedinterfaces provide the user with a new method for robot task planning and control: he or she can define tasks in a very intuitiv eway by interacting with a 3D computer generated representation of the world, which is continuously updated thanks tomultiple sensors fusion and analysis.The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has successfully tested different kinds of teleoperations. In the early 90’s, atransatlantic teleoperation of a conventional robot manipulator with a vision feedback system to update the virtual world wasachieved. This approach was then extended to perform teleoperation of several mobile robots (Khepera, Koala) as well as tocontrol microrobots used for microsystems’ assembly in theµm range.One of the problems encountered with such an approach is the necessity to program a specific kinematic algorithm for eachkind of manipulator. To provide a more general solution, we started a project aiming at the design of a “kinematic generator”(CINEGEN) for the simulation of generic serial and parallel mechanical chains.With CINEGEN, each manipulator is defined with an ascii file description and its attached graphics files; inserting a newmanipulator simply requires a new description file, and none of the existing tools require modification. To have a real timebehavior, we have chosen a numerical method based on the pseudo-jacobian method to generate the inverse kinematics of therobot. The results obtained with an object-oriented implementation on a graphic workstation are presented in this paper.Keywords: robot manipulators, general kinematic chains, inverse kinematics, user interface, virtual environment.1. INTRODUCTIONHumans design and build robots to assist or substitute them in a large range of tasks. This leads to machines with incrediblepower and features, which can perform more and more sophisticated tasks. But too many times, the difficulty for the user tocommand the robot, increases with the complexity of the system. Virtual Reality (VR) based interfaces provide a powerful toolto overcome this problem.This paper focuses on a “general kinematic generator” which aims at simulating robots in Virtual Environment. Such a toolhas appeared as a real need for several research labs as well as industrial companies involved in robotics. Two research labs,both working in the robotic field and using Virtual Reality tools for efficient teleoperation have joined their efforts to achievesuch a kinematic generator.1.1. BackgroundThe Micro-Engineering Department (Institut de Microtechnique: IMT) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology(EPFL) is involved in robotic design and development, with a special focus on industrial applications. The experience gainedwith industrial partners showed that classical methods for robotic systems programming (off-line as well as on-line) usuallylack on user-friendliness and performance. This is why since 1990 the IMT is developing VR interfaces to simplify robot taskdefinition.Rather than writing down complicated code, the user can interact with a 3D model of a robot in a virtual world. The user isable to define high level tasks (like move to this point or grab this object) in just one hand movement or a button press. The v ir-tual world is continuously updated, thanks to different sensors (camera, scanner, etc.), with all detected objects around therobot. After a simulation stage to check all the potential problems, a concrete task can be achieved by sending the automati-

Communication through speech is a vital skill, an innate ability in most human beings intended to convey thoughts, needs, and it is the very foundation of literacy. However, some people find it as one of the challenges in their lives, particularly children with Cerebral Palsy. Children with such disability suffer from brain injuries before, during, and after birth that evidently affect their motor, cognitive, and linguistic skills. Some of the additional complexities may also cause hearing, visual, and speech impairments that further decrease their learning abilities. Their development milestones in learning is slower than a typical child, thus they require intensive personal drilling. It is believed that the cognitive skills in these children can be improved to enable them to lead a more productive life. That was an antecedent that strongly motivated us to develop the proposed Virtual Collaborative Learning Tool. It aims to assist the learning ability of the targeted children through a responsive avatar of their parents, teachers, or caretakers. A preliminary study was conducted on voluntary participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed learning model. The results showed 80% of the participants were able to answer questions provided within the program.

This Research Full Paper presents a proposal for a pedagogical approach to be applied to educational robotics on a virtual distance learning platform, to foster teaching and learning, knowledge sharing and interaction between teachers and students. Recent studies indicate that 21st century students can master different skills and competencies to achieve success in their education, among which we highlight collaborative learning and educational robotics. One of the resources which successfully employ collaborative activities is groupware, which is a virtual collaborative system that supports groups of people with common tasks or objectives and enables the management of group activities. Many research works show that educational robotics has become an important facilitating and motivating tool for students entering Computer-focused courses. Literature has shown that both tools are important for the application of a STEM approach and have led to good results in an educational environment. To analyse the learning perceptions of educational robotics in a collaborative environment, we have developed a pedagogical approach that relies on collaborative learning through a groupware called IGARA, developed on Moodle platform. Activities made available by the virtual environment were developed based on constructivist, interactionist principles, with task contextualization to enhance students' perception. In order to assess the functionality of such an approach, an exploratory study was carried out with a set of 14 students, divided into 3 groups, spatially distant due to Covid-19 pandemic safety measures. Preliminary results were very promising and groupware was well accepted by participants.

A virtual-physical collision detection interface for AR-based interactive teaching of robot

Research has shown that three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic virtual anatomic models can help students understand the complex spatial relationships of human structures that are not easily accessible via dissection. For instance, the cerebral cortex is located within the cranial vault; however, it can be difficult to view the relationship between the cerebral cortex and skull via dissection. This project goes into discussing the creation of a 3D stereoscopic model of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex model was segmented via Amira 5.6 software from computed tomography angiography (CTA) data. Amira 5.6 surface rendering methods were used to create the cerebral cortex, and volume rendering methods were used to create the skull. The segmentations were performed using the axial view and paintbrush tools in Amira 5.6 along with the Wacom pen and tablet. After completing the initial segmentation across 155 slides, the CTA scans were compiled in Amira 5.6 to create the 3D model of the cerebral cortex. A smoothing filter was then applied to the initial surface render of the cerebral cortex to smooth the transition from slide to slide. The cerebral cortex model generated can be viewed from any angle at any magnification level. In addition, the model can also be overlayed orthoslice CTA data to allow the user to have a stronger understanding of the relationship between each individual two-dimensional CTA image and the three-dimensional model. Moreover, the cerebral cortex virtual model can be created into video clips using the Amira 5.6 movie maker, which can be inserted into PowerPoint presentations. As a result, the cerebral cortex virtual model has the potential to be used for online distance anatomical learning, which has become the adopted method of teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The flexibility of this model allows it to also be used in the classroom setting as a virtual learning tool where students may view the models via a 3D screen with 3D glasses.

The study aimed to evaluate the acumens of educationists concerning the benefits of robotics technology in education, motivation, challenges in executing robotics autonomy, and future suggestions. The study included 10 educationist specialists and utilized open-ended questions to collect perceptions of the subject. A current investigation produced subjects: security concerns, job substitution issues, customization, flexibility, educational inspiration, and administrative needs related to robotics innovation. The collected responses were lensed through the instructive systems, including the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) system, constructivist learning speculations, and the Frankfurt Triangle demonstrated to collect broad suggestions. This conduct found that robotics technology offers benefits such as information, common sense, inspiration, and engagement. Despite that, challenges such as innovation, sociocultural components, adaptability, security concerns, and versatility were recognized. Additionally, the study backed the idea that future progressions and administrative systems are pivotal for overcoming these challenges and improving part of robotics in education. The consideration emphasizes the need for versatile mechanical autonomy arrangements, integration with existing advances, and energetic administrative systems. Tending to work substitution concerns, security issues, and information security is fundamental to guarantee the secure use of mechanical technology in instruction. The research recommends that policymakers and teachers contribute to reasonable robotics technology units, accomplices with innovation suppliers, and funding for underserved educational institutions. Future robotics technology improvement should prioritize user-friendliness and consistent integration with existing innovations.