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UNC++Duino: A Kit for Learning to Program Robots in Python and C++ Starting from Blocks

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Robotics in Education

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 457))

Abstract

We present UNC++Duino, an open source educative software for learning to program a robotic kit in C++ and Python. Besides of these two industry programming languages, UNC++Duino can be programmed using 2 high level languages based on blocks are free of syntax errors. One of the block based languages included is completely iconic allowing for its use with preliterate children. The hardware we use with UNC++Duino, the open RobotGroup robotic kit, can be used to build different automated constructions based on an Arduino board, sensors and actuators. UNC++Duino was developed within Argentinean K-12 schools by the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba with the collaboration and support of the Argentinean National Ministry of Science and the RISE program in Google for Education. Its goal is to provide an engaging tool for learning to program in different programming languages with increasing difficulty and control of the hardware.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The robotic kit software as well as the hardware are open source and the sources are available at http://masmas.unc.edu.ar and http://robotgroup.com.ar.

  2. 2.

    https://github.com/BlocklyDuino/.

  3. 3.

    http://www.arduino.cc/.

  4. 4.

    https://blockly-demo.appspot.com/static/demos/blockfactory/index.html.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially funded by the grants PICT-2014-1833, PICT-2012-712, PDTS-CIN-CONICET-2015-172, and PID-2012-2013-R18.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Córdoba, Argentina

    Luciana Benotti, Marcos J. Gómez & Cecilia Martínez

Authors
  1. Luciana Benotti
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  2. Marcos J. Gómez
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  3. Cecilia Martínez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luciana Benotti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. (PRIA), Practical Robotics Institute Austria (PRIA), Vienna, Austria

    Munir Merdan

  2. Practical Robotics Institute Austria , Vienna, Austria

    Wilfried Lepuschitz

  3. Practical Robotics Institute Austria , Vienna, Austria

    Gottfried Koppensteiner

  4. URPI FEI STU , Bratislava, Slovakia

    Richard Balogh

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Benotti, L., Gómez, M.J., Martínez, C. (2017). UNC++Duino: A Kit for Learning to Program Robots in Python and C++ Starting from Blocks. In: Merdan, M., Lepuschitz, W., Koppensteiner, G., Balogh, R. (eds) Robotics in Education. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 457. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42975-5_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42975-5_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-42974-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-42975-5

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