Programming Human-Robot Interactions for Teaching Robotics within a Collaborative Learning Open Space: Robots Playing Capture the Flag Game

Abstract

Game-based competitive or cooperative robotics activities constitute an effective approach to exploit the child-robot interaction perspective. However, in most game-based robotics activities robots act autonomously to achieve the goal. In this work, we aim to promote the child-robot interaction aspect through a multiplayer game where one team of robots and humans collaborates to compete with another team of humans and cobots. We describe the design of an open space that will allow children to gain access, locally and remotely, and program robotic agents to play the traditional “Capture the Flag” game in a physical stadium-arena. Through this space, we intend to teach robotics, while programming human-robot interfaces, within a computer-supported game-based learning environment. We give insights on the initial design of such an open space and the educational benefits of its use in the comprehension of abstract computational and STEM concepts.