Description:An Educational Robotics Toy with Screenless Button-based and Screen-based Graphical/Textual Coding methods
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

[0001] The present invention relates to an educational robotics toy. More particularly, it relates to an educational toy robot that provides a means for children between the ages of 4-11 years to learn coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics technology without involving any mobile devices or laptops, or long hours of screen time. This is implemented by introducing button screenless coding which allows the users to create and execute a coding playlist with buttons and program the robot. It also allows for graphical and/or text-based programming using PictoBlox.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

[0002] There is a growing interest in the field of robotics as an educational tool. However, little is focused on the foundational schooling years. However, both from an economic and a developmental standpoint, educational interventions that begin in early childhood are associated with lower costs and more durable effects than interventions that begin later on (e.g., Cunha & Heckman, 2006 American Economic Review, 97(2), 31-47.4). Two National Research Council reports - Eager to Learn (2001) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods (2002) document the significance of early experiences for later school achievement. The National Science Board urged the Obama administration to make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education a priority in early childhood education, writing that, “the earlier children are exposed to STEM concepts, the more likely they are to be comfortable with them later in life.” The current presidential administration has pledged to do so (National Science Board, 2009).
[0003] Along with the goal of increasing comfort levels, these reports reflect a belief that early experiences are critical. Research also shows that introducing STEM in early childhood might help to avoid stereotypes and other impediments to entering the innovation pipeline later on (Markert,1996 The Journal of Technology Studies, 22(2), 21-29). However, there are three major impediments to bringing technology and engineering into early childhood education. First, among early childhood educators, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about technology and engineering, and about developmentally appropriate pedagogical approaches to bring those disciplines into the classrooms (Bers, 2008 Blocks, robots and computers: Learning about technology in early childhood. New York: Teacher's College Press). New professional development models and strategies are needed to prepare early childhood teachers for this task. Second, there is a need for new technologies with design affordances and interfaces specifically developed for young learners. Without these, the results of the investment in professional development will not scale, as it will be difficult for teachers to integrate the use of technology into their classrooms.

[0004] US20140297035A1 patent document discloses a system for use by a child aged 7 or younger, comprising: a robot comprising i) a robot body; ii) at least one sensor port configured to receive at least one sensor; and iii) at least one motor port configured to receive at least one motor; and a programming interface configured to receive graphical and/or tangible programming instructions and transmit said instructions to said robot body, wherein said programming interface and said robot are configured for use by a child aged 7 or younger.
[0005] CN102077260A patent document discloses an interactive learning system using a robot that includes an input unit that inputs a signal using a sensor for sensing a figure and voice of a child and teaching material and inputs content used to teach a child or inputs a signal when directly touched by a child, a CPU that determines an action corresponding to a signal input through the input unit and controls elements to the progress of a teaching process, a data table that provides control data called by the CPU when a signal input with respect to a child is generated in the CPU, and a drive unit that receives a control signal and drives an audio unit, a video unit and a motor of the robot to perform robot activities required for learning when the CPU transmits the control signal based on the control data of the data table. The method of operating the same is also disclosed.

[0006] US5270480A patent document discloses an Instrument playing toy for acting as a simulated instrument play comprising a receiving device for receiving instrument-playing information programmed originally for playing instruments electrically but not programmed for driving moving parts of a toy, decoding device for decoding the instrument-playing information, converting the device for converting the output of the decoding device into driving signals and assigning the driving signals to moving parts of the instrument playing toy and driving device for driving the moving parts in response to the driving signals, thereby the instrument playing toy performs simulated instrument playing movements. The sound may be generated from provided acoustic musical instruments activated by the moving parts, derived from the instrument playing information, or from a sound signal obtained from a source different from the instrument playing information.
[0007] The problem associated with the prior art is that prior art has no features for children between the ages of 4-9 years to learn hands-on coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics technology without the use of laptops, mobile devices, or long hours of any kind of screen time. There are no features of text-based editor for hands-on coding for children between the ages of 10 and 11 years to learn artificial intelligence and robotics; The current technologies do not provide computational thinking to kids with unplugged technology. The conventional technologies do not provide extended functionality to be connected wirelessly with laptops and mobile devices for programming with graphical programming or text-based programming. The prior art fails to provide button-based screenless coding and screen-based coding as Picto Coding and a combination of them.

[0008] To overcome the above-mentioned problem, the inventors of the present invention came up with an innovation which is an educational robotic toy. The toy engages children of the same age group with relatable stories and plays that involve critical thinking and problem-solving, thereby teaching them the inherent fundamentals of computational thinking. The presented educational robot provides a toy with a long-term engagement factor with its interactive design that offers an automated tangible manifestation of numbers, shapes, basic arithmetic, patterns, and progressions, thereby teaching them the inherent fundamentals of foundational numeracy. The toy at an affordable price, so it can be easily utilized by institutions working with the government impacting lower-middle-class background students and it is providing a toy that integrates both Mathematics and Language learning aligned with the school curriculum. The educational robotic toy works with two methods which are - Button-Based Screenless Coding and Screen-Based Graphical and Text Based Coding. The robot has arenas, appendages, and dice and a curriculum that gamifies foundational learning by driving the analogy of a car on land to the scale of a toy car on a grid arena with codified addresses alphanumerically. It further provides a means to draw shapes using pre-calculated trajectories. The invention of the present invention is as described herein.
OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION:

[0009] The main objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy, which is implemented by introducing Button-Based Screenless Coding which allows the users to create and execute a Coding Playlist with Buttons and program the robot.
[0010] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that offers Button-Based Screenless Coding.
[0011] Yet another objective of the present invention is that it provides extended functionality for ages 8-11 to connect it with mobile devices for programming with graphical programming or text-based programming. This increases the longevity of the engagement hours for the students thus increasing the value for money for the parents.
[0012] Still Another object of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that can serve many different uses, from teaching students basic Mathematics, Science, and Language to enable them to learn and practice programming skills in both graphical and text-based formats. The educational robot helps children aged 4-11 benefit from problem-solving activities and learn concepts such as number systems, directions, angles, shapes, and arithmetic operations without having to use a laptop or cell phone
[0013] Further, an objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot, which the students can use to learn key coding concepts such as loops, conditions, decision-making, sequencing, and interrupts that can be applied when programming the robot screenlessly or with graphical and text-based commands via Bluetooth.
[0014] Still further, an objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot, using which the students are also introduced to basic artificial intelligence techniques such as face recognition, speech recognition, sign detection, and human detection, allowing them to create interactive robots that can understand input from their environment.
[0015] One more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that serves a tool for a wide variety of purposes, making it the perfect solution for schools teaching grades K-5 in the areas of coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics in school. The educational toy robot is a tool for children between the ages of 4-11 years to learn coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics technology without involving any mobile devices or laptops, or long hours of screen time.
[0015] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy that is capable of Screenless coding without any external devices via laptop/phone/desktop etc.
[0016] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy that can be operated in both “Grid Mode” and “Draw Mode” i.e. it can turn within a cell in a cellular planar grid of specified dimensions and also about the central perpendicular axis between its wheels, allowing it to draw with a writing instrument attached to it.
[0017] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy that is capable of serving as a tool to teach critical thinking skills.
[0018] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that is an affordable and programmable toy that can work without a mobile device but is powered only by the toy and its components.
[0019] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that comes with accessories to make the engagement hands-on, story-based, and interactive for the children and that is capable of a long-term engagement factor with its design and open-ended programming features.
[0020] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that is capable of providing an affordable solution for programs implemented by government institutions and individual usage by families with lower-middle-class backgrounds.
[0021] Yet one more objective of the present invention is to provide an educational robot that integrates both Language and Mathematics learning in direct and indirect methods so that it can be aligned with the school curriculums in multiple languages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

[0022] The present invention is all about an educational robotic toy process. The educational toy robot provides a means for children between the ages of 4-11 years to learn coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics technology without involving any mobile devices or laptops, or long hours of screen time. This is implemented by introducing Button-Based Screenless Coding which allows the users to create and execute a coding playlist with buttons and program the robot.
[0023] The main aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy comprising: at least one PCB cum chassis; said PCB is for electrical connections and is also serving as the chassis of the said educational robot; at least two motors operatively coupled with wheels; said motors configured with the PCB being capable of rotating said wheels; a bracket each for holding the said motors and a castor wheel configured with the said PCB; a three-way switch; a microcontroller with the inbuilt wireless connective device; said microcontroller operatively coupled with an integrated circuit, which receives the signal to provide the output data; at least two IR sensors; a motor driver; a battery holder; a switch; at least two RGB LED; a buzzer; a plurality of buttons and an I/O port; wherein, said educational robots have a combination of two modes; button-based screenless coding termed “Button Coding” and screen-based graphical and textual coding termed “Picto Coding”. The microcontroller is capable of analyzing, controlling, and executing the data; said button-based screenless coding means “Button-Coding” allows the users to create a coding playlist with buttons and program the educational robot and run the code; the user can create the coding playlist by pressing the multiple buttons in a meaningful sequence that the educational robot translates to a sequence of commands that it performs. Said screen-based coding “Picto-Coding” executes specific commands in graphical block-based coding editor or text-based coding editor, and leverages AI features like image recognition, programmable I/O port as well as IR Sensors among others.
[0024] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy. The said button-based screenless coding further comprises a “Grid-Mode” and a “Draw-Mode”. Grid-Mode allows for the robot to move from one cell of the grid arena to another while maintaining its centroid on top of the center of the cell, where the educational robot can further use its claw peripheral to move around a payload among other things. The Draw-Mode allows for a writing instrument to be attached along the centroid of the robot’s driving wheels, enabling the robot to draw shapes to an accuracy of under 2° when calibrated on full charge.
[0025] Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy. The microcontroller on the PCB connects to all the sensors on the robot like the switches and IR sensors, and to all the actuators like the motors (via the motor driver), buzzer, and RGB LEDs. The button-based coding further comprises advanced coding features like breakpoints(action), loop(repeat), and interrupt(interrupt-subroutine). Additionally, sensors and actuators can be connected to the I/O port, which in turn is connected to the microcontroller; and can be configured accordingly; said microcontroller controls the sensors and actuators according to the functionality programmed by the user.
[0026] One more aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robot. The Button Coding has a plurality of buttons that can be selected from forward, reverse, right, left, clear undo, go, action, repeat, interrupt, etc. The three-way switch being capable of turning on and off the robot with Block-Coding or Picto-Coding.
[0027] Yet one more aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robotic toy. The educational robot has two power configurations which are AAA battery-powered and Li-ion with USB-powered charging.
[0028] Further aspect of the present invention is to provide an educational robotic toy that has arenas, appendages, and dices that activate a curriculum that gamifies foundational learning by driving the analogy of a car on land to the scale of a toy car on a grid arena with codified addresses alphanumerically and further provides a means to draw shapes using pre-calculated trajectories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0029] Fig.1A elaborates in top diagram, the educational robotics toy.
[0030] Fig.1B elaborates in bottom diagram, the educational robotics toy.
[0031] Fig.2 elaborates the block diagram of the educational robotics toy.
[0032] Fig.3A represents how the educational robotics toy is used with one of the arenas along with its curriculum.
[0033] Fig.3B represents how the robot is coded in Button-Coding with button presses.
[0034] Fig.3C represents how the robot operates in Picto Coding with Screen based devices like PC, Laptop, Tablet or Mobile on which said code can be entered in graphical or text-based editors.
[0035] Fig.3D represents how a writing instrument can be attached to the educational toy robot.
[0036] Fig.3E represents how the robot operates in Draw Mode.
[0037] Fig.3F represents:
(i) Initial Position in a square cell.
(ii) Right turn of the educational robotics toy in “Grid Mode”.
(iii) Right turn of the educational robotics toy in “Draw Mode”.

[0038] Figures 4,5,6,7 and 8 represent the examples of coding playlists created in Button-Coding as well as Picto-Coding and the intended outcome by educational robotics toy.
[0039] Fig.4A and Fig.4B represent an activity using the educational robotics toy in Grid Mode on an arena and its Button Code respectively.
[0040] Fig.5A and Fig.5B represent an activity of the educational robotics toy in Grid Mode on an arena and collateral picture cards; and its Button Code respectively.
[0042] Fig.6A and Fig.6B represent an activity using the educational robotics toy in Draw Mode and its Button Code respectively for an advanced topic of loops.
[0043] Fig.7A represents an example of an activity of the educational robotics toy and Fig.7B, Fig.7C and Fig.7D represent screen-based coding modalities of Picto Coding in different code editors.
[0044] Fig.8A and Fig.8B represent the I/O port of the educational robotics toy being used to control an external electronic peripheral and its code in a graphical block-based coding editor.
[0045] Fig.9A represents the line following the application for educational robotics toy and 9B represents its code.
[0046] Fig.10A and Fig.10B represent the educational robotics toy being used as a tool to use AI Image Recognition and its graphical block-based coding editor respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

[0047] The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0048] Detailed embodiments of the instant invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representation basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
[0049] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of the ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs.

a. The present invention overcomes the problem of an educational robotics toy. The object, features, and advantages of the present invention will now be described in greater detail. Also, the following description includes various specific details and is to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that: without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and its various embodiments there may be any number of changes and modifications described herein.

b. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention, the preferred, systems are now described.
[0050] An educational robotics toy with screenless coding/dual coding modalities comprising:
(a) at least one PCB cum chassis;
wherein said PCB is for electrical connections being capable of serving as the chassis of the said educational robot;
(b) at least two motors operatively coupled with wheels;
wherein said motors configured with the PCB being capable of
rotating said wheels;
(c) a bracket for holding the said motor;
(d) a castor wheel configured with the said PCB;
(e) a three-way switch;
(f) LED Indicators for the three-way switch;
(g) a microcontroller with the inbuilt wireless connective device;
wherein said microcontroller operatively coupled with an integrated circuit, which received the signal to provide the output data;
(h) plurality of battery holder and a USB Charging Connector;
(i) a low battery indicator;
(j) a motor driver;
(k) at least two IR sensors;
(l) at least two LEDs;
(m) a buzzer;
(n) plurality of buttons;
(o) an I/O port;
(p) a serial communication port;
(q) wheels; and
(r) holder for writing instrument
wherein, the robot can be coded with two methods:
(i) a button-based screenless coding which is termed as “Button Coding”; and
(ii) a screen-based coding which termed as “Picto Coding”;

wherein, in “Button-Coding” the said microcontroller being capable of analyzing, controlling, and executing the data; said button-based screenless coding means Button Coding allows the users to create and execute a coding playlist with buttons and program the educational robot;

wherein, said “Picto Coding” allows the user to execute the code which they enter in a graphical block-based or text-based code editor. This further allows them to leverage AI features like image recognition, programmable I/O port etc.

The user can either create the coding playlist by pressing the multiple buttons in a meaningful sequence or build the code in a screen-based code editor that the educational robot translates to a sequence of commands that it performs.

[0051] Another embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy, the first embodiment, PCB is capable for holding the other components in place and also acts as the chassis of the robot. The robot has a microcontroller on the PCB powered by AAA batteries or Li-ion Battery charged via its USB Port, which connects to all the sensors on the robot like the switches and IR sensors and all the actuators like the motors (via the motor driver), piezo SMT buzzer, and RGB LEDs. A variety of sensors and actuators can be connected to the IO port, which in turn is connected to the microcontroller; and they can be configured accordingly. The microcontroller controls the sensors and actuators according to the functionality programmed by the user. The microcontroller also has Bluetooth provision to connect with external devices for programming and yet another Serial port for communication with Computers.

[0052] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy; and the castor Wheel connected to the PCB with the motor is mounted on the PCB using motor brackets. The wheels are in turn connected to the motor’s shaft. The two wheels and the castor wheel create a steady base for the robot. This system of two wheels and a caster wheel allows the robot to move around.
[0053] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy can be coded in two methods:
a. Button-based screenless Coding termed Button Coding, and
b. Screen-Based Coding termed Picto Coding.

The said button-based screenless coding has “Grid mode” and “Draw mode”. The said Grid Mode allows for the robot to move from one cell of the grid arena to another while maintaining its centroid on top of the center of the cell, where the robot can further use its claw (peripheral) to move around the payload among other things. The draw mode allows for the pen to be attached along the centroid of the robot’s driving wheels, enabling the robot to draw shapes to an accuracy of under 2° on full charge. The pen holder, the circular rubber grommet, inserted into an orifice in the PCB to assemble a pen on the robot, with the pen tip touching the surface of the floor on top of which the robot is standing. The motor driver IC, takes the inputs from the microcontroller and runs both motors accordingly.
[0054] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy having advanced coding features like breakpoints(action), loop(repeat), and interrupt. Picto Coding has features like Graphical Block Based Coding as well as programming language-based coding and AI features like image recognition. Further, programmable I/O port as well as IR Sensors The robot is available in two power configurations: AAA battery-powered Li-ion with USB Powered charging.
[0055] As per one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy. The said microcontroller is programmed to work in Button Coding or Picto Coding according to the state of the three-way switch. The robot can turn ON or OFF using the three-way switch attached to the PCB: When the switch is on the left side, the robot turns ON with Button Coding. When the switch is in the middle, the robot turns OFF. When the switch is on the right side, the robot turns ON with Picto Coding. Further, In Button Coding, each button executes a specific command. The user can create and execute a coding playlist by pressing multiple buttons in a meaningful sequence that the robot translates to a sequence of commands that it performs when the GO button is pressed.
[0056] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy; the functionality of calibrations of sensors and actuators can be accessed with specific button presses. Further, there are two methods of translation in the Button Coding that can be switched between using specific button presses. These commands are provided by the nine buttons on the PCB.
The set of 9 switches:
a. Forward Button (White Color)
b. Left Button (White Color)
c. Reverse Button (White Color)
d. Right Button (White Color)
e. Repeat Button (Orange Color)
f. Interrupt Button (Yellow Color)
g. Action Button (Blue Color)
h. Go Button (Green Color)
i. Clear Button (Red Color)
TABLE: 1

No. ⚫︎Button
Function Additional Button Steps Additional Functionality
i ⚫︎Forward
Move forward one step (short press)
Adds 10cm forward motion to the coding playlist
ii ⚫︎Reverse
Move reverse one step (short press)
Adds 10cm reverse motion to the coding playlist
iii ⚫︎Right
Turn right 90° (short press)

Arc of 90° about the contact point of right wheel
(long press)

iv ⚫︎Left
Turn left 90° (short press)
\ Adds an Arc of 90° about the contact point of left wheel to the coding playlist.
v ⚫︎Clear
Clear (short press)

Deletes the entire coding playlist
v ⚫︎Clear
Factory Reset (long press)

Resets all settings to default values.
v ⚫︎Clear
Stop (short press; used while the robot is performing a coding playlist)

Stops the educational robotics toy.
vi ⚫︎Go
Run (short press)

Makes the Robot perform the coding playlist
vii ⚫︎Action
Play Sound and Light (short press)
Adds short light and sound sequence to the coding playlist
viii ⚫︎Repeat
Initiates the repeating playlist (short press)

Initiates the repeating playlist in the coding playlist after which the repeating playlist’s steps are entered Entering number of repetitions (sequence of single presses after entering the repeating playlist) Defines the number of repetitions of the repeating playlist
ix ⚫︎Interrupt
Initiates interrupt playlist (short press)
Interrupt playlist is initiated, after which the steps for the interrupt are entered. Previously entered interrupt playlist is cleared. Entering Interrupt Playlist with button presses.
ix ⚫︎Interrupt
Initiate line following (long press)
Starts Line Following and stops only when it detects black on both IR Sensors.
x ⚫︎Action +
⚫︎Interrupt
Activates IR Sensors’ Calibration (short press)

Automatically calibrates itself.
xi ⚫︎Forward + ⚫︎Right
Turn right 45° (short press)
Adds 45° right turn to the coding playlist
xii ⚫︎Forward + ⚫︎Left
Turn left 45° (short press)

Adds 45° left turn to the coding playlist
xiii ⚫︎Reverse + ⚫︎Right
Turn right 30° (short press)
Adds 30° right turn to the coding playlist
xiv ⚫︎Reverse + ⚫︎Left
Turn left 30° (short press)
Adds 30° left turn to the coding playlist
xv ⚫︎Action +
⚫︎Forward
Initiate Forward Step’s Calibration (short press)
Goes into forward step’s calibration mode ⚫︎Right/
⚫︎Left/
⚫︎Forward/
⚫︎Go/
⚫︎Clear
Increase Step/
Decrease Step/

Check Step/
Set Step/
Cancel
xvi ⚫︎Action +
⚫︎Right
Initiate Right Turn’s Calibration (short press)

Goes into right turn’s calibration mode ⚫︎Forward/
⚫︎Reverse/
⚫︎Right/
⚫︎Go/
⚫︎Clear
Increase Turn/ Decrease Turn/
Check Turn/
Set Turn/
Cancel
xvii ⚫︎Action +
⚫︎Left
Initiate left Turn’s Calibration (short press)

Goes into left turn’s calibration mode ⚫︎Forward/
⚫︎Reverse/
⚫︎Right/
⚫︎Go/
⚫︎Clear
Increase Turn/ Decrease Turn/ Check Turn/ Set Turn/ Cancel
xviii ⚫︎Action +
⚫︎Reverse
Toggle Translation Mode (short press)

Switches configuration from draw setting to grid settings or vice versa

[0057] As per one embodiment of the present invention it provides two programmable RGB LEDs to generate output feedback for the users. The buzzer is connected to the microcontroller with an in-built sound library to generate audio output feedback for the users as well as allow them to create sound sequences. An input-output port (I/O Port) to connect external sensors or actuators to extend the capacity of project making for the users. Two infrared sensors (IR sensors) are connected to the PCB.
Example for creating coding playlists in educational robotics toy
[0058] Referring to the fig. 3A, in the Point (201) the coding playlist is of a set of instructions for the robot, that is created by pressing the buttons. The robot kit comes with an arena where the robot can perform the task. The arena is divided into a grid of colorful squares like this as shown in point (201) in Fig.3A.
[0059] Referring to the fig. 4A,4B, in the point (202) the students can be given the task of making the robot go from one position to another, and they need to create and execute a coding playlist with the button presses. For example, make the robot go from cell ‘0’ to cell ‘5’ of the arena. Here the student will press the following buttons to create the coding playlist. Once the playlist is completed, the student will press the GO button to make the robot move. And when the task is completed, the student can press the RED button to clear the Coding Playlist. Here are some other tasks the students can do with this mode as shown in Fig (4A, 4B).
[0060] After that, as represented in figures it moves from the Orange Cell‘2A’ to another Orange Cell ‘3C’ avoiding Purple Cell ‘2B’. So here the student will press the following buttons to move the robot as shown in Fig (5A, 5B).
[0061] Further, as shown in the figure the robot has a provision to fix a writing instrument on the robot with the pen holder. This allows the robot to make drawings and shapes for the students. To make the robot draw shapes, it has to enter the draw mode by pressing Action + Reverse. Once entered in the draw mode, you have to insert a writing instrument on the pen holder as shown in Fig.3D and then create the Coding Playlist for the robot. For example, to create a square, the user will require this Coding Playlist as shown in Fig (6A, 6B).
[0062] Similarly, the Picto Coding enables the Bluetooth of the robot and allows it to make a wireless connection with a mobile device or a laptop. With the successful establishment of the connection, the user can control the motors and the actions of the robot through block coding or text coding.
Examples:
a. Control the robot's actions to move from one location to another as shown in Fig.(7A).
b. The graphical block code to move the robot as well as control the LEDs and Sound of the Robot would look like this as shown in Fig.(7B).
c. Another method to build the graphical block code to move the robot as well as control the LEDs and Sound of the Robot could also look like this as shown in Fig.(7C).
d. The text-based code to move the robot as well as control the LEDs and
Sound of the Robot could also look like this as shown in Fig.(7D).
e. Control an output device like a Servo Motor using the robot's I/O port as shown in Fig.(8A); and
f. It’s respective graphical block code in Fig.(8B).
g. The dice or face or body pose, can be used to control the robot using AI
features. The same has been shown in Fig.(10A).
h. The code for the same is shown in Fig.(10B)

[0063] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide a Line-Following application as shown in Fig.(9A), The robot has 2 infrared sensors on the bottom of the robot, which can detect the amount of light getting reflected from the white and black surfaces. This allows the robot to understand its surroundings and perform line-following applications using the IR sensors. Line Following can be achieved by long pressing the “Interrupt” Button or making a block-based code as shown in Fig.(9B) or by writing a text-based code for the same.
[0064] The robot can further be programmed to calibrate the IR Sensors reading with a click of a button in the graphical coding editor or by pressing together “Interrupt” Button and “Action” Button together, making it easy for the students make the educational robotics toy perform “line-following” applications. Line-following is available on both the Button Coding as well as Picto Coding.
[0065] The PCB is connected to the Battery holder which provides the power to the PCB from three AAA batteries or by connection a Li-ion battery which can be charged from the USB port.
[0066] As per one of embodiment, the educational robot has arenas, appendages, and dice on a curriculum that gamifies foundational learning by driving the analogy of a car on land to the scale of a toy car on a grid arena with codified addresses alphanumerically and further provides a means to draw shapes using pre-calculated trajectories.
[0067] Continuously referring to Fig.1A and Fig.1B, the said microcontroller being capable of analyzing, controlling, and executing the data; said button-based screenless coding means Button Coding allows the users to create a coding playlist with buttons and program the educational robot and to run the code; said screen-based coding means Picto Coding executes specific commands, which are given as input in a graphical block-based or text- based code editor to AI features like image recognition, programmable i/o port as well as IR Sensors; the user can create the coding playlist by pressing the multiple buttons in a meaningful sequence that the educational robot translates to a sequence of commands that it performs.

Advantageous effect of the present invention
[0068] The present invention is to provide an educational robotics toy.
[0069] The present invention is to provide an educational robot that can serve many different uses, from teaching students basic Mathematics, and Language to enabling them to learn and practice programming skills in both graphical and text-based formats.
[0070] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot with this tool, children aged 4-11 benefit from problem-solving activities without having to use a laptop or cell phone.
[0071] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot, the students can use this tool to learn key coding concepts such as loops, conditions, decision-making, sequencing, interrupts and line-following that can be applied when programming the robot with both screenless coding as well as graphical and text-based commands via Bluetooth.
[0072] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot, the students are also introduced to basic artificial intelligence techniques such as face recognition, speech recognition, sign detection, and human detection, allowing them to create interactive robots that can understand input from their environment.
[0073] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that tool serves a wide variety of purposes, making it the perfect solution for schools teaching grades K-5 in the areas of coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
[0074] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot for children between the ages of 4-9 years to learn coding, artificial intelligence, and robotics technology without involving any mobile devices or laptops, or long hours of screen time. This is implemented by introducing Button- Based Screenless Coding which allows the users to create and execute a Coding Playlist with Buttons and program the robot.
[0075] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that is an affordable and programmable toy that can work without a mobile device and is powered only by the toy and its components.
[0076] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that is not only restricted to Button Screenless Coding; it also provides extended functionality for ages 10-11 to connect it with mobile devices for programming with graphical programming or text-based programming. This increases the longevity of the engagement hours for the students thus increasing the value for money for the parents.
[0077] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that comes with accessories to make the engagement hands-on, story-based, and interactive for the children.
[0078] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that is capable of a long-term engagement factor with its design and open-ended programming features.
[0079] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that is capable of providing an interactive and affordable solution for programs implemented by government institutions and individual usage by families with lower-middle-class backgrounds.
[0080] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot that integrates both Language and Mathematics learning in direct and indirect methods so that it can be aligned with the school curriculum.
[0081] The present invention is to provide an educational toy robot a multifunctional and economical Robot that makes the learning process easier for students of ages 4-11 in the field of coding, AI, and robotics.
[0082] The present invention can switch its operation between “draw-mode” and “grid-mode” to allow it to provide the novel option of controlling the robot to draw a multitude of shapes and curves as well as strictly move within in a square cellular 2D Grid.
[0083] Without further description, it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can, using the preceding description and the illustrative examples, make and utilize the present invention and practice the claimed methods. It should be understood that the foregoing discussion and examples merely present a detailed description of certain preferred embodiments. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and equivalents can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
, Claims:CLAIMS:
We claim:
1. An Educational Robotics Toy with Screenless Button-based as well as Screen-based Graphical/Textual Coding methods comprising:

a) at least one PCB cum chassis;
wherein said PCB is for electrical connections being capable of serving as the chassis of the said educational robot;
b) at least two motors operatively coupled with wheels;
wherein said motors configured with the PCB being capable of rotating said wheels;
c) a bracket for holding the said motor;
d) a castor wheel configured with the said PCB;
e) a three-way switch;
f) LED Indicators for the three-way switch;
g) a microcontroller with the inbuilt wireless connective device; wherein said microcontroller operatively coupled with an integrated circuit, which received the signal to provide the output data;
h) plurality of battery holder and a USB Charging Connector;
i) a low battery indicator;
j) a motor driver;
k) at least two IR sensors;
l) at least two LEDs;
m) a buzzer;
n) plurality of buttons;
o) an I/O port;
p) a serial communication port;
q) wheels; and
r) holder for writing instrument;

wherein, the robot can be coded with two methods as follows:
(i) a button-based screenless coding which is termed as “Button Coding”; and
(ii) a screen-based coding which means Picto Coding;

wherein, in “Button-Coding” the said microcontroller being capable of analyzing, controlling, and executing the data; said button-based screenless coding means Button Coding allows the users to create and execute a coding playlist with buttons and program the educational robot;

wherein, the user can either create the coding playlist by pressing the multiple buttons in a meaningful sequence or build the code in a screen-based code editor that the educational robot translates to a sequence of commands that it performs; and

wherein, said screen-based coding means “Picto Coding” allows the user to execute the code which they enter in a graphical block-based or text-based code editor, which further allows them to leverage AI features like image recognition, programmable I/O port.

2. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said button-based screenless coding further comprising a grid mode and a draw mode.

3. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 2, wherein said grid mode allows for the robot to move from a cell in a square celled grid arena with codified addresses alphanumerically and further provides a means to draw shapes using pre-calculated trajectories to another while maintaining its centroid on top of the center of the cell, where the educational robot can further use its claw peripheral to move around the payload among other things.

4. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the draw mode allows for the pen to be attached along the centroid of the robot’s driving wheels, enabling the robot to draw shapes to an accuracy of under 2° on full charge by turning about said centroid of driving wheels.

5. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said button-based coding further comprising advanced coding features like breakpoints(action), loop(repeat), interrupt (interrupt subroutines) and line following.

6. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said microcontroller on the PCB connects to all the sensors on the robot like the switches and IR sensors, and to all the actuators like the motors (via the motor driver), buzzer, RGB LEDs, the I/O Port and the Serial Port.

7. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors and actuators can be connected to the I/O port, which in turn is connected to the microcontroller; and can be configured accordingly; said microcontroller controls the sensors and actuators according to the functionality programmed by the user.

8. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motor is mounted on the PCB using motor brackets and wheels are in turn connected to the motor’s shaft; said two wheels and the castor wheel create a steady base for the educational robot and allows to the move around.

9. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said Button Coding has a plurality of buttons that can be selected from forward, reverse, right, left, clear undo, clear stop, clear, go, action, repeat, interrupt, etc.

10. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said three-way switch being capable of turning on and off the robot with coding modality with indicators for each one of them.
11. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said educational robot having two power configurations which is AAA Battery Powered and Li-ion with USB Powered charging.

12. The educational robotics toy with screenless button-based as well as screen-based graphical/textual coding methods as claimed in claim 1, wherein said educational robot has arenas, appendages, and dice on a curriculum that gamifies foundational learning by driving the analogy of a car on land to the scale of a toy car on a grid arena with codified addresses alphanumerically and further provides a means to draw shapes using pre-calculated trajectories.