Mobile robot Wireless Thymio

In addition to: VPL, Blockly, standard lines of code.

Introducing the new mobile robot Wireless Thymio

Both the mobile robot Thymio II and the Wireless Thymio have been developed in collaboration by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the Cantonal Art School of Lausanne (écal). Their aim is to provide educational mobile robots at a low price.

The mobile robot Wireless Thymio is totally open-source, at hardware and software levels.

The mobile robot Wireless Thymio is easy to manipulate, thanks to its small size (110x110x50 mm) and weight. Its beautiful white body makes it very robust and it is very attractive thanks to its capacitive buttons and colored leds.

The mobile robot Thymio II contains many sensors (microphone, infrared receiver, temperature, proximity, 3 axis accelerometer, ground sensors for line following), actuators (motors, speakers, LEDs), connectivity (USB, memory card) and off course a brand new WiFi module!

The Wireless Thymio is a classic Thymio II robots with a WiFi module soldered onto its PCB. The Wireless Thymio also comes with a USB dongle (IEEE 802.15.4  à 2.4 GHz) for your computer.

The combo WiFi module + USB dongle replaces the USB cable and allows you to remotely program your Thymio robot!

But the mobile robot Thymio II knows how to offer opportunities to those who want to increase the capabilities of this robot. You can add a pen in the robot to draw with it and you have access to Lego-compatible attachment points: the only limit is your imagination!

The mobile robot Thymio II's designers don't lack of it, as you can see on this page or in this presentation movie:

What can I do with a Wireless Thymio? (that I couldn't with the Thymio II)

Distant programming: no more constraining USB cable! You can now leave the robot on the playground while you program it wirelessly

Inter-robot wireless communication (up to 50m)

Visual feedback in VPL: you can see when each part of the program is executed (possible only when connected with the USB cable)

Feedback of all variables in real time: check the values of the sensors, change the motor speed, and much more

Distant control: you keep a continuous control of the robot and can stop it remotely if needed

First steps with the mobile robot Wireless Thymio

First plug the mobile robot Thymio II with the USB cable and give it half an hour to charge.

Then you can test the demonstration behaviors included in the robot: Press (well, touch) the center button until the robot turns on and select a behavior with the side arrows. Then press the center button to start.

Friendly (green)

Thymio II follows the object in front of it.

Explorer (yellow)

Thymio II explores the environment while avoiding obstacles.

Fearful (red)

Thymio II detects shocks and free falls, and shows the direction of gravity.

Investigator (cyan)

Thymio II follows a trail.

Obedient (purple)

Thymio II follows the command from the buttons or from a remote control.

Attentive (blue)

Thymio II responds to sound. We can control the robot by clapping.
1 clap = go straight ahead / turn
2 claps = run / stop
3 claps = turns in a circle

All those behaviors are described on this page, on which you can also download the source code for each behavior.

To use Thymio Suite from a computer

• VPL (Visual Programming Language), an event-driven programming language, based on pictogram associations. Very easy to learn, perfect for young children who are just discovering programming.
• Scratch 3, a visual programming language based on blocks of instructions that must be logically nested to create a more or less complex program.
• Blockly, use math, logic, loops, variables and discover more programming concepts!
• Aseba, a text language developed for Thymio that allows, among other things, to collect data from sensors and actuators and to create much more complex programs.

To use Thymio Suite from an iPad

Thymio robot firmware update

1. Connect your robot to your computer with the USB cable.
2. Select a programming language in the Thymio Suite software,
3. Right-click on the robot you want to update
4. Lastly, click Upgrade Firmware.

Educative resources Inirobot with Thymio 2 in schools

Inirobot is a sequence of educational activities which will allow pupils and teachers to become acquainted with robotics. The robotic platform chosen for the implementation of this project is the educational robot Thymio II. With its small size, light weight and colored leds, the Thymio II is the ideal learning tool for kids!

The 3 key learning objectives of the Inirobot module are:

• Learning a new (and probably first) computer language: the VPL (Visual Programming Language) which was developed at the EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne)
• Creating computer programs and instructions
• Finding out more about electronic circuits and the robot/computer communication and mechanics

The project team Flowers has also made an extensive resources package available to the teachers/facilitators:

• Learning objectives for each sequence
• Activity management roadmaps (inc. all the assignments answers for the teachers)
• Robot software datasheet, installation guide and user guide
• Examples of activities and tutorials

There is also a forum dedicated to this project, all questions and feedbacks are welcome!

A testing phase was launched in several school in Aquitaine, in May and June 2014, and the Inirobot learning module has been since then implemented in schools located in Talence (Bordeaux) and Lille.

Resources

• Learning content for the Inirobot module
• Feedback from the Talence school

Discover the different levels of Thymio robot programming