A novel, fully modular educational robotics platform for Internet of Things Applications

Continuous evolution in the science of information technology, the Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, and technology in general results in the introduction and use of new technologies in people’s everyday lives. Through the daily use of computers, smart devices (smartphones/tablets), and various other electronic devices, children come into contact with modern technologies from an early age (6–7 years old). In addition, in the last decades, computer programming is integrated into Greek schools, teaching children how to use a variety of hardware and software tools to solve real-life problems. Working in that direction, the TekTrain project aims at the development of an innovative system, which consists of a highly customizable hardware platform and a dedicated Software Framework. TekTrain was designed in order to help students broaden their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) knowledge and to improve their programming and technical skills. Its core competencies are its modularity and its ability to integrate a wide variety of sensors, which are also adaptable according to user’s needs. In the current work, the iterative procedure for the development of the robotic platform that enables the execution of Internet of Things applications and its features are presented.