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Section: New Results
Applications for Educational Technologies
KidLearn
Participants : Manuel Lopes [correspondant] , Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Didier Roy, Benjamin Clement.
Kidlearn is a research project studying how machine learning can be applied to intelligent tutoring systems. It aims at developing methodologies and software which adaptively personalize sequences of learning activities to the particularities of each individual student. Our systems aim at proposing to the student the right activity at the right time, maximizing concurrently his learning progress and its motivation. In addition to contributing to the efficiency of learning and motivation, the approach is also made to reduce the time needed to design ITS systems.
Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) are computer environments designed to guide students in their learning. Through the proposal of different activities, it provides teaching experience, guidance and feedback to improve learning. The FLOWERS team has developed several computational models of artificial curiosity and intrinsic motivation based on research on psychology that might have a great impact for ITS. Results showed that activities with intermediate levels of complexity, neither too easy nor too difficult but just a little more difficult that the current level, provide better teaching experiences. The system is based on the combination of three approaches. First, it leverages Flowers team’s recent models of computational models of artificial curiosity and intrinsic motivation based on research in psychology and neuroscience. Second, it uses state-of-the-art Multi-Arm Bandit (MAB) techniques to efficiently manage the exploration/exploitation challenge of this optimization process. Third, it leverages expert knowledge to constrain and bootstrap initial exploration of the MAB, while requiring only coarse guidance information of the expert and allowing the system to deal with didactic gaps in its knowledge. In 2014, we have run a second pilot experiment in elementary schools of Région Aquitaine, where 7-8 year old kids could learn elements of mathematics thanks to an educational software that presented the right exercises at the right time to maximize learning progress. [29]
Poppy System
Participants : Matthieu Lapeyre [correspondant] , Nicolas Rabault, Pierre Rouanet, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer.
In the Poppy project we are working on the Poppy System which is a new modular and open-source robotic architecture. It is design to help people create and build custom robots. It permits, in a similar approach as Lego, building robots or smart objects using standardized elements.
Poppy System is an unified system where each essential robotic components (actuators, sensors, ...) is an independant module, connected with other through standardized interfaces.
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Unified mechanical interfaces which simplifies the assembly process and the design of 3D printable parts.
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Unified communication between elements using the same connector and bus for each module.
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Unified software makes it easy to program each module independantly.
The current Poppy robots (Humanoid, Torso, Ergo) will be updated using this novel architecture.
Our ambition is to create an ecosystem around this system so communities can develop custom modules, following the Poppy System standards, which can be compatible with all other Poppy robots.
Poppy Education
Participants : Pierre-Yves Oudeyer [correspondant] , Didier Roy, Théo Segonds, Stéphanie Noirpoudre, Marie Demangeat, Thibault Desprez, Matthieu Lapeyre, Pierre Rouanet, Nicolas Rabault.
Poppy Education aims to create, evaluate and disseminate pedagogical kits “turnkey solutions” complete, open-source and low cost, for teaching computer science and robotics. It is designed to help young people to take ownership with concepts and technologies of the digital world, and provide the tools they need to allow them to become actors of this world, with a considerable socio-economic potential. It is carried out in collaboration with teachers and several official french structures (French National Education, Highschools, engineers schools, ... ). For secondary education and higher education, scientific literacy centers, Fablabs.
The Poppy robotic platform used in the project is free hardware and software, printed in 3D, and is intended primarily for:
Educational sectors covered by the project are mainly: Enseignement d’exploration ICN en seconde, enseignement ISN en terminale S et bientôt en 1ère , filière STI2D, MPS seconde.
Users and their needs are placed at the center of this project. The pedagogical tools of the project are being created directly with them and evaluated in real life by experiments. Poppy Education is based on the robotic platform poppy, from which it is possible to construct different robots, including:
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Poppy Humanoid is a robust and complete robotics platform designed for genuine experiments in the real world and can be adapted to specific user needs.
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Poppy Torso is a variant of Poppy Humanoid. It is a torso humanoid robot that can be easily installed on a table.
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Poppy Ergo Jr is a robotic arm. Solid and inexpensive, it is perfect to be used in class. Poppy robots are easy to program. Different options are possible based on students level and teaching objectives :
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Pixl is a board who manage power and communication between a raspberry pi and robotis XL320 low cost motors. We use this bord for all our low cost robots.
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Python. Directly from a web browser, using Ipython notebooks (an interactive terminal, in a web interface for the Python Programming Language).
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Snap. The visual programming system Snap, which is a variant of Scratch. Its features allow a thorough introduction of IT.
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C ++, Java, Matlab, Ruby, Javascript, etc. thanks to a REST API that allows you to send commands and receive information from the robot with simple HTTP requests.
Poppy Humanoid, Torso and Ergo robots can be simulated with the free simulator V-REP. It is possible in the classroom to work on the simulated model and then allow students to run their program on the physical robot.
Experimentations have began to be setup in 10 high-schools of Region Aquitaine, and 3 university level institutions: Lycée Camille Jullian (Bordeaux), Lycée Victor Louis (Talence), Lycée Saint Genès (Talence), Lycée François Mauriac (Bordeaux), Lycée Jean Moulin (Langon), Lycée des Graves (Gradignan), Lycée Sud Medoc (Le Taillan Medoc), Lycée Alfred Kastler (Talence), Lycée Raoul Follereau (Nevers), Aérocampus Auqitaine, ENSEIRB/IPB, ENSAM Talence.
IniRobot : Education and Thymio II Project (partnership with EPFL)
Participants : Didier Roy [correspondant] , Pierre-Yves Oudeyer.
IniRobot Project consists to produce and diffuse a pedagogical kit for teachers and animators, to help to train them directly or by the way of external structures. The aim of the kit is to initiate children to computer science and robotics. The kit provides a micro-world for learning, and takes an enquiry-based educational approach, where kids are led to construct their understanding through practicing an active investigation methodology within teams. It is based on the use of the Thymio II robotic platform. More details about this projects were published in RIE 2015 [50] , which presents the detailed pedagogical objectives and a first measure of results showing that children acquired several robotics-related concepts. See also https://dm1r.inria.fr/inirobot or http://www.inirobot.fr . The project is carried out in main collaboration with the LSRO Laboratory from EPFL (Lausanne) and others collaborations with French National Education/Rectorat d'Aquitaine.
Deployment: After 16 months of activity, IniRobot is used by about 900 adults and 8000 children in 35 cities of France. Example of action in university: MEEF teacher training for the hope of Aquitaine. Example of action in school: training of all Gironde Pedagogical ICT Advisors, covering nearly 1000 schools. Example of action in the extracurricular time: training 82 facilitators TAP cities of Talence, Pessac, Lille, ..., CDC Gates of inter-seas. Example of national action: Training of the digital mediators of the 8 Inria centers.