The Australian Education Reporter
Affordable Educational Robot
PRODUCED by Australian company Microbric, the Edison Robot is an affordable solution for schools to implement robotics in their classroom.
Less than $50 each, the robot is programmable, in both Edpy; an easy to understand text-based programming language based on Python, and Edware; an icon-based programming environment that is intuitive.
Both programming options are free to use and are easy to set up in the classroom.
Edison also has studs and holes that are compatible with LEGO bricks; a handy feature if a school has an existing LEGO collection.
Edison is affordable, programmable, easy to use, works with LEGO bricks, and is classroom ready and built-to-last.
Edison creator Brenton O’brian said the little orange robot is taking the world by storm and teachers and students alike are enjoying Edison’s versatility.
“Our biggest problem right now is keeping up with the demand from schools, not just in Australia, but around the world,” Mr O’brien said.
“We are attributing the robot’s popularity to its wide range of features, low price and ease of use.
“Robotics is a great motivator for students to figure out programming challenges.
“They become engaged with trying to get the robot to perform a set challenge and learn by stealth; they are unaware of how much they are actually learning.”
The Edison robot works straight out of the box using barcodes.
The robot drives over various barcodes that activate built-in programs, such as following a line, avoiding obstacles, and responding to claps.
The barcodes can be downloaded and come included in both a free downloadable A1 activity mat (Edmat) and in ebooks or Edbooks.
Microbric also offers 10 free downloadable lesson plans for Edware, the icon based programming app, with lesson plans soon to be released for Edpy.
More information about the popular Edison robot can be found at: www.meetedison.com