In an unprecedented learning environment, teachers are quickly adapting to new and interesting ways to engage and teach students. Our goal is to also support schools and universities with their need and transition into remote learning, so Consequential Robotics Product Director Izzy Barnes explains in 3 easy steps how teachers can use MiRo to teach coding in a fun and engaging away to students wherever they are in the world. Keep reading to learn how MiRo can be used to ignite the imaginations of restless students at home to get them excited about coding and appreciate the many doors that it can open for them.
Get started with MiRoCODE
Begin coding with either of our levelled programming software. For most new users, MiRoCODE is the perfect choice that allows students of all ages to code MiRo in both the visual Blockly coding language or the robotics industry standard text-based language Python. MiRoCODE includes MiRoSIM (our cutting edge full-physics simulator) so students can see and use a MiRo avatar in a range of environments to refine and debug code programs before sending their code to a physical robot. MiRoCODE even allows you to see through the eyes of the simulated MiRo avatar! Students can observe and respond to any sensory inputs in real-time. Right now, you can download MiRoCODE onto a range of computers. However, we’ll be launching MiRoCLOUD very shortly which allows online access to MiRoCODE and a student management system, so click here to learn more.
Code with Blocky and Python
Coding with Blockly was made to be easy. It was developed by technology powerhouse Google and is a colourful intuitive language where users can select, drag and drop blocks into a program like jigsaw pieces. Our team has developed a huge range of blocks with differing levels of precision and complexity. MiRoCODE will also translate Blockly programs into Python text which can then be analysed, edited and tested. This allows pupils from KS1 to program simple behaviours that university level students produce using complex programs. Teachers can accelerate their students coding potential very quickly!
Run the Code on your MiRo Robot
MiRo is a versatile robotic platform with nearly 50 sensors, incredible motion with 11 degrees of freedom, an unparalleled emotional range and real-time camera vision. These sensory inputs are all displayed on the MiRoCODE platform. This level of information and detail helps students to fully understand the potential of coding when used in tandem with a physical MiRo Robot. Once students are happy with their coding, having tested and debugged their code using the MiRoSIM environment, they’ll have the opportunity to run their code on the robot. How is this done? Each MiRo robot has an individual IP address, which is simply entered into the address field in MiRoCODE or in MiRoAPP which is an app that can be installed onto a mobile device. And voila! Their code will be connected to the correct robot! Large classes of students or individual students learning from home will then be able to observe their hard work on a real MiRo to see how it behaves!
More examples can be found on our website, head to Getting Started with MiRoCODE to find out more. MiRoCLOUD will be available soon so register for your test drive here.
Post AUTHOR
Izzy Barnes, Product Director, Consequential Robotics.