The Interactive Robotics Education Tool is an application framework designed to visualize some important robotics concepts, including: pathfinding algorithms, motion planning, and remote controlling. In creating this framework, the users are able to learn through easily accessible simulations designed by accredited robotics researchers at UNC.
Many demonstrations and explanations of robotics concepts operate at a much higher level, making them inaccessible to students and unhelpful to instructors teaching these algorithms. Working alongside the Computational Robotics Laboratory at UNC, we will implement an intuitive and helpful visualization that will assist prospective robotics students, aspiring researchers, and industry professionals looking to educate themselves on concepts the lab works with completely online without needing access to robotics technology themselves.
As part of the tool framework, there are visualizations that focus on pathfinding algorithms and motion planning. The interfaces will allow users to control their environment and manipulate parameters that affect overall performance of the algorithm or movements at hand. In seeing the performance in real time, the users can identify the importance of chosen parameters and how they affect the robot in question. Expanding upon what was built by the previous team, we will further implement the functionality of creating visualizations of bug algorithms and PID controllers, as well as allowing the tool to be added directly to an instructor’s website.