Controlware for Learning Using Mobile Robots
Ilya S. Levin, E. Vadam Levit · Computer Science Education · 1998
One of the main problems faced within departments of computer science is how to encourage students to use their algorithmic and programming skills in the real-life context. This paper deals with control technologies for higher education. We define controlware as a toolkit for creating the control part of a mobile robot in interactive learning environments and educational micro-worlds. Intelligent behavior of mobile robots is created through the composition of constituent control units. The overall behavior of a mobile robot is half cooperative and half-competitive realization of the goals of the control units. To construct this composition behavior and resolve the corresponding conflicts, a partially ordering priority arbitration subsystem is defined. It is shown that the suggested approach links educational processes both in a control curriculum and an intelligent robotics curriculum. We hope that the spreadsheet-based controlware will make the mobile robots lear ning environment an accepted educational practice tool in computer science.