Leisure robotics: an African child's gateway to programming

Abstract

This paper describes an alternative programming system which can be constructed with minimal mechanical and electronic knowledge in an environment such as FabLab. This sytem, dubbed GameBlocks, makes use of tangible interfaces to control the movements of a motorised toy robot. No prior programming experience is required to use the sytem and no reading and writing abilities are necessary either. Such a system is possible because the user interface makes use of icons only and consists of three-dimensional objects that are manipulated in "constructing" the required code sequence for controlling the robot. An overview of the system components, the design concepts, and experiences in creating the first prototype in the FabLab is provided. This paper concludes with a short description of subsequent prototypes, highlighting the features manipulated to incorporate the learning gained from the first prototype.