Graphical Programming Interface for ROBOTONT, an Open-Source Educational Robot

Abstract

This thesis demonstrates the development of a Blocky-based graphical programming interface as a visual programming language. It enables the control of Robotont, a research and educational mobile robot, through ROS (Robot Operating System). This research approach shows how Google Blockly can lower the complexity of robotics programming for non-expert programmers. The system developed through a design-based approach focuses on simplicity while reducing the technical barriers (ROS implementation and complexity). The key results of this study are a Blockly web app that can create custom blocks for Robotont control and offers a complete solution for ROS communication and robot simulation. This work, due to its accessibility, has the potential to be a framework for robotics education and training, and emphasizes the importance of human-robot interaction.