Curriculum Summary

RoboScape is a collaborative, networked robotics environment that makes key ideas in complex systems and cyber-physical systems (CPS) science accessible to groups of learners in informal learning spaces and K12 classrooms. RoboScape relies on the institute’s prior innovative work creating NetsBlox (netsblox.org), a networked, visual programming environment specifically targeted at introducing students to distributed computation and computer networking. RoboScape provides a significant advance on the state of the art for CPS learning platforms. There are existing robotics kits that make it possible for children to build and/or program simple robots, such as the Lego Mindstorms, Root, Finch and many others. These are successful platforms, but they are limited to experimenting with single robots. RoboScape opens up completely new dimensions for learning by networking multiple robots, thereby allowing coordination and communication between them, and providing a collaborative platform for learners to interact with each other and their programs-in-action. Furthermore, as the robots are accessible from the internet, RoboScape is an ideal platform to teach CPS cybersecurity concepts as well.