https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2017.

p0980
Noguchi, T. et al.

Paper:

Development of a Programming Teaching-Aid Robot with

Intuitive Motion Instruction Set
Takafumi Noguchi∗ , Hidekazu Kajiwara∗∗ , Kazunori Chida∗ , and Sakae Inamori∗
∗ National Institute of Technology, Kushiro College

2-32-1 Otanoshike-Nishi, Kushiro, Hokkaido 084-0916, Japan

E-mail: [email protected]
∗∗ Muroran Institute of Technology

27-1 Mizumoto-cho, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan

[Received April 13, 2017; accepted September 11, 2017]

A robot that consists of a compact disc (CD) and an structions. However, Lego Mindstorms requires using a
embedded microcomputer has been developed as a personal computer (PC) to develop the programs. Thus,
robotics learning tool for elementary and junior high it cannot be used in classrooms or to train students un-
school students. The students can program the robot less the appropriate PCs or program development envi-
to draw a variety of shapes by placing a pen in the ronment are available. Likewise, many of the teaching-
center hole of the CD. As the movement track of the aid robots used to learn programming for measurement
robot can be recorded, the students can preserve their and control purposes require a dedicated environment for
devised program execution results. In addition, in- using PCs [3–5].
tuitive instructions can be used to control the robot. Under the circumstances, a teaching-aid robot is pro-
This allows to input the program by operating sev- posed to provide the appropriate environment for “learn-
eral push-button switches. The program instructions ing programming-based measurement and control.” The
can be viewed on the robot’s 8 LEDs-display interface. proposed robot is structured with basic robotic compo-
This robot is a unique teaching tool, which can be used nents such as a computer, sensors, and actuators. The de-
to learn the mechanism of the robot composed of sen- veloped teaching-aid robot has the following unique char-
sors, actuators, and a computer, without using a per- acteristics that none of the other teaching robots possess:
sonal computer. (1) it can intuitively move in response to easy movement
control instructions; (2) it is programmed to allow learn-
ers to intuitively understand the programmed operations
Keywords: teaching-aid robot, programming education, by inserting a pen in the center hole of the body to record
machine language, computer education, measurement and the robot’s moving track; (3) it has an easy to operate in-
control terface that allows users to directly input any program us-
ing a few push-button switches.
The functions of this teaching-aid robot are not only in-
1. Introduction tended to be used by inexperienced technicians with little
or no programming or mechatronics knowledge but also
Currently, there are a variety of computer controlled de- by elementary school students to learn programming us-
vices around us; however, few users are acquainted with ing the intuitively understandable instructions. Beginner
their control mechanism or built-in programs. Few fresh- programming learners are required to have diverse knowl-
men students who study engineering at the universities or edge about computer use, programming environments,
national institute of technology have prior programming programming language, and logical thinking skills. Thus,
experience, including even those who own computers. the beginners learning programs should be adapted to
For such students who lack in such basic knowledge, gen- learners with different knowledge and skill capabilities in
erally used computers or their development environments the above mentioned areas.
are too much complicated in functions to learn measure- In order to address these challenges, the developed
ment and control by programming. teaching-aid robot can create and execute programs on
Lego Mindstorms has been used as a teaching tool to its own using the methods discussed in Points (1) to (3).
learn measurement and control by a wide range of users Thus, it can serve as an optimum teaching tool for in-
including elementary school students, adults, and to train troductory programming education to be used by learners
university students. Lego Mindstorms has become very with no prior programming knowledge in terms of com-
popular as an excellent tool to learn measurement and puter use, use of programming environments, or use of
control programming [1, 2]. It involves using Lego blocks programming language.
to build the program mechanism and create the system The developed teaching-aid robot has an incorporated
by trial-and-error processes according to the program in- microcomputer to control its movements and an unnec-

980 Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017

© Fuji Technology Press Ltd. Creative Commons CC BY-ND: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/).
 Teaching-Aid Robot with Intuitive Motion Instruction Set

essary compact disc (CD) to install the microcomputer can easily confirm the robot’s movements in response to
board and motors. Workshops have been held for more the instructions. Learners can easily understand the re-
than ten years to train elementary and junior high school lationships between the programmed instructions and the
students, using the robot as a teaching tool [a, b]. Mean- robot’s movements by changing its moving speeds. Com-
while, the robot performance has been highly improved, bined instructions can be used to move the robot forward
to be used not only as a craft kit but also as a diversified and change its direction; for example, learners can ob-
teaching tool [6, 7]. This teaching-aid robot can draw var- serve that the distances and directions the robot travels
ious figures using a pen placed in the CD’s center hole as vary with the order of instructions, and can understand
programmed by learners. Because the robot can record its these combined instructions and the order of executing the
movement track, the record can also show how the pro- instructions are important to move the robot as intended.
gram has been devised. In addition, learners can learn how to move the robot as
The control microcomputer of the developed teaching- intended by observing the robot movement pattern in each
aid robot has an embedded virtual computer that is con- step using trial and error experimentation to improve their
trolled by basically 8-bit machine language instructions. control accordingly.
In order to make the instructions for the robot to move out
of the machine language instruction set intuitively easy to
2.2. Conventional Teaching-Aid Robots
understand, values to the four high-order bits in the ma-
chine language instructions (two higher-order bits for the Robots as teaching-aid tools have been developed at
left motor and two lower-order bits for the right motor) universities or other institutions to learn the computer
were allocated in a certain way; thus, the rotational direc- mechanism, and thereby to understand its programs and
tions of the left and right motors (directly connected to the control mechanisms. This subsection describes the char-
tires) can be visually understandable. When changing or acteristics and learning objectives of such teaching tools.
executing the program, corresponding machine language
instructions are sequentially displayed on the eight LEDs 2.2.1. Teaching Materials Intended for Learning
arranged on top of the robot. Through Robot Production
Such simple correspondence between the lighting pat-
Lego Mindstorms is a teaching tool combining Lego
terns of the LEDs and the motor’s motion (robot’s motion)
blocks and a NXT controller. It is aimed at learning pro-
enables the learners to program through trial and error
grammed measurements, control, and algorithms. Fur-
processes and ensures that the individual motion instruc-
thermore, it helps developing the learners’ logical think-
tions of the program are accurately executed. In fact, even
ing and problem-solving skills. It is introduced in many
elementary students can create a sequentially structured
universities and other education/research institutions [1,
program in a short time. As they develop more interest in
2].
programming or become familiar with the instructions to
Lego Mindstorms can easily create programmed con-
program the robots, they will be capable of creating pro-
trol by connecting its components, such as geared motors
grams with more complex control structures.
and sensors, to the NXT. Its program development envi-
The remaining sections of this paper are organized as
ronment includes a system to visually arrange program
follows: Section 2 offers a background about this study;
components by mouse operation and another system to
Section 3 explains the structure of the teaching-aid robot
develop programs by combining the library and program
developed to resolve the aforesaid problems and its op-
language, to be used by a wide range of users ages.
erational characteristics; in Section 4, the internal struc-
Another teaching-aid robot uses a radio-controlled
ture and extensibility of the developed teaching-aid robot
servo motor for its actuators. The system developed
is described in terms of measurement control education;
by Endo et al. is a fish type robot produced by com-
Sections 5 and 6 present examples for the developed
bining servo motors. Users can learn by manufacturing
teaching-aid robot applications from the workshops held
the robot and understanding its design and programming
for elementary and junior high school students and those
method [4].
offered to higher education institutions; lastly, the study
When learners produce a robot using such teaching ma-
conclusions are summarized in Section 7.
terials, they also learn that its control needs to correspond
to its structure, as the program output is not only uniquely
determined by the input but also corresponds to the sen-
2. Using Robots as Learning-Aid Tools sors and robot’s mechanism. However, most of the cur-
rently used teaching tools require an additional PC beside
2.1. Learning Using Robots the microcomputer to develop its control program, which
is considered as a learning space constraint.
Using a robot is an effective method for teaching pro-
gramming and measurement control at beginner level,
when learners can actually observe how they should move 2.2.2. Teaching Materials Intended for Programming
the robot, which is the object to control. Learners can Education
instantly observe how the robot responds to the individ- The teaching materials intended for beginners’ pro-
ual instructions that constitute the program; thus, they gramming education include the control of a line tracing

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 981

Noguchi, T. et al.

car and a robotic car [5]. A robot similar to that described Address Hex data Mnemonic
in Subsection 2.2.1 is used as a teaching tool. However, 0000 3E 01 LD A, 01
the used robot must have an already completed car body 0002 06 02 LD B, 02
0004 80 ADD A, B
or robot to ensure that the practice training can be com- 0005 32 09 00 LD (0009), A
pleted within a limited period of time. During the practice 0008 C9 RET
training, the learners are given tasks to develop a program. 0009
The program should be devised to correspond to the trav-
eling course shape. Thus, the program allows the robot to Fig. 1. Source code example of Z80 processor.
make optimum movements according to the input values
from the sensor. As the robot’s shape cannot be changed,
the learners focus on devising the robot program. Teaching materials that do not require PCs include, for
Similar to the teaching tool in Subsection 2.2.1, PCs are example, the single-board computer incorporating a mon-
required for programming the robot. itoring program (e.g., TK-80 [d]), which was put on the
market approximately when microprocessors began to be
2.2.3. Programming Robots Without Using PCs marketed. With one-board computers, users can directly
input assembly language by operating the keys on the
There are also some programming robots that can de- board and learn the computer mechanism by flashing the
velop programs to control the robot movements without LEDs on the board. However, the relationship between
using PCs such as: P!MOT made by EK Japan Co., Ltd., the assembly language/machine language and the device
and BEAUTO made by Vstone Co., Ltd. would be too complex and difficult for beginners to un-
P!MOT is a self-standing two-wheel drive robot [c]. derstand. Although the one-board computers are practical
This robot has built-in flash memory, and the keyboard to use, beginners will not be able to use them to run a
installed on the back of the robot body is used to input the simple addition program (for example, to get the addition
program. result of 1 + 2 on the memory) as shown in Fig. 1, with-
The difference between P!MOT and the developed out understanding how to operate the monitor or how the
teaching-aid robot is the correspondence between the computer is structured.
push-button switches and the robot movements. One Although PCs have excellent interfaces, they are not
push button switch corresponds to one motion in P!MOT. easy to use everywhere. Meanwhile, although the one-
Thus, P!MOT’s movement control can be easily pro- board computers are practical to use, they are very diffi-
grammed. However, P!MOT have separate push-button cult for beginners. If the teaching tools described in Sub-
switches that are assigned to control forward movements, section 2.2 could be used with no PCs, their range of use
turning movements, and any other movements. would be extended and they would become easier to use
BEAUTO is a self-standing cleaning robot. BEAUTO in school classrooms.
programs can be created by determining the order of the The developed teaching-aid robot addresses the above-
readily prepared instructions while watching the control mentioned problems as it meets the following conditions:
board LCD installed on its body. Ito et al. held multi-
person workshops using BEAUTO [8]. 1. To create programs using no PCs, which can be
Although both robots’ movements can be controlled by changed or executed at any time.
pressing buttons, it is difficult to use the instructions given
2. To use intuitively understandable instruction sets.
to the robot to predict how the motors will move.
The traveling movements of the developed teaching-aid 3. To be used for all levels of introductory computer ed-
robot are controlled by the one-to-one correspondence be- ucation offered for elementary and college students.
tween the mechanism (left and right motors) and the ma-
chine language instructions in bits (four high-order bits The following section describes the structure of the pro-
are halved into two pairs of bits, respectively assigned to posed robot.
the left and right motors), so that learners can intuitively
understand and learn the programming mechanism of the
computer. 3. Developed Teaching-Aid Robot
3.1. Structure of the Teaching-Aid Robot Using CD
2.3. Issues Related to Conventional Teaching-Aid Figure 2 is an illustration of the developed teaching-aid
Robots robot and Fig. 3 shows its components. As described in
The robots described in Subsection 2.2 are excellent Section 1, a CD is used as base for the robot; thus, users
learning tools for beginners. Many of those robots are to can insert a pen into the center hole. Its portable design
be used in combination with a PC and their user interfaces and size allows the storage of the robot in a 50-pack CD
are easy for beginners to understand. On the other hand, case.
as they are mainly used at school classes and for students’ The component shown at the upper left side of Fig. 3 is
training and reviews, they cannot be easily accessed at any the computer board used to control the robot. It takes ap-
time. proximately 90 min to build the robot with a step-by-step

982 Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017

 Teaching-Aid Robot with Intuitive Motion Instruction Set

Motor rotation /2s

8 cm / 60 r
Pen Left Right 4 cm / 30 r
/1s
Forward Computer board R: Reverse rot.
F: Forward rot. 2 cm / 15 r/ 0.5 s
R F R F
/ : LED on/off 1 cm / 7.5 r / 0.25 s
Execution
8 red LEDs, / Program Red LEDs
3 yellow LEDs
and push-button Yellow LEDs
2
switches 3, 4, 5
㻟 㻠㻌 㻡㻌
1
Push-button Push-button switches
switches Motor Distance / angle / time
1, 2
Fig. 4. LEDs and push switches on the robot (see Fig. 2).
Power
Lighting of the red-LEDs correspond to an instruction to the
robot to advance 10 cm.

Fig. 2. Robot system for teaching purposes.

displayed by the eight red LEDs at the upper left of the

Computer board
Unnecessary CD computer board (front side of the robot) shown in Fig. 2.
Three yellow LEDs and push-button switches 3, 4, and
5 are installed below the eight red LEDs. The LEDs are
arranged as shown in Fig. 4.
As described in Section 1, the machine language in-
struction set for the developed teaching-aid robot travel-
ing movements instructions are allocated with four high-
order bits; thus, the users can intuitively understand the
rotational directions of the left and right motors (directly
connected to the tires). As the eight LEDs arranged at the
Motor top of the robot (red LEDs in Fig. 4) present the machine
language instructions, users can change or execute a pro-
Fig. 3. Component parts of the robot.
gram by corresponding to the LEDs lit by the machine
language instructions to the motor rotations.
The relationship between the motor rotations and the
explanation of how to use the tools such as drivers and LED lighting is shown at the top of Fig. 4. The leftmost
nippers. For the training workshops intended for elemen- pair of the eight LEDs (left in Fig. 4) corresponds to the
tary and junior high school students, boards with readily left motor and the next pair of LEDs (right in Fig. 4), cor-
soldered electronic parts are used. The students follow the responds to the right motor. When the left LED (right in
instructions provided in the instruction book to assemble Fig. 4) in each pair of LEDs is lit, the robot moves back-
the component parts and build a robot, as shown in Fig. 2. ward and when the right LED (F in Fig. 4) is lit, the robot
Figure 3 shows the main component parts of the de- moves forward. The remaining four LEDs correspond to
veloped teaching-aid robot, as follows: a microcomputer the travel distance when the robot moves straight forward,
PIC18F2523 (256 bites in EEPROM area) made by Mi- the turning angles when the robot changes direction, and
crochip Technology Inc.; and two motors SPG20-361 the stopping time when the robot stops. Their respective
made by Copal Electronics Inc. These are two stepping values are displayed in binary four bits.
motors with readily built-in gear. The robot has a simple In Fig. 4, the lit LEDs (enclosed characters in Fig. 4)
structure, as the tires are directly connected to the motor indicate that the robot moves forward 10 cm (when the
shafts. Thus, it can make stable movements with highly- left and right motors are FF, the motors rotate in posi-
reproducible track. tive direction and the robot’s traveling distance is 8 cm +
Four AA batteries (6 V) are used for the power sup- 2 cm = 10 cm). The lighting of these eight LEDs cor-
ply. While the control circuit is driven at 6 V, the motors responds to the robot movement instruction. As shown
with a rated voltage of 12 V are driven at approximately in Fig. 4, these movement instructions are designed to al-
10 V using a voltage boosting circuit. The production cost low the users to intuitively understand the program mech-
amounts to no more than 4,000 yen because many of the anism; even elementary school students can understand
robot components are procured from electronic compo- such mechanism and can easily create sequentially struc-
nent shops in Tokyo. tured programs. The above-mentioned robot instructions
are stored in the microcomputer EEPROM mounted on
the robot as eight-bit data (01011010). The data series
3.2. Intuitively Understandable Instruction Set are sequentially invoked as programs to move the robot.
The instructions to control the robot are basically struc- The following subsection describes the program’s input
tured in eight bits. The contents of the eight bits are method.

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 983

Noguchi, T. et al.

Forward 8cm
ձ Power Switch On. ճ
ղ Execution Switch Off.
3 4 5
ճ Press and release switches 1 and 2 at մ Turn left 90r
the same time.
մ Press switch 3, determine the յ Forward 4cm
behavior of the left motor.
յ Press switch 4. ն
Turn right 90r
ն Press switch 4, determine the
behavior of the right motor. շ
շ Press switch 5㸬 Turn right 45r
ո Press switch 5, determine the ո
distance. Forward 8cm
չ Press switch 2, write the program. պ
պ The program can write to the next
END
address.

Fig. 5. Program input into the robot.

Fig. 6. Program to draw an arrow using the robot.

3.3. How to Create and Execute Programs

red LEDs display the earlier address for approximately
Program input and execution can be performed by oper- one second and then the instruction at the said address.
ating the two slide switches and five push-button switches
on the computer board: the two slide switches are lo-
cated at the lower right side of the computer board (at the
3.4. Programs and Robot’s Moving Track
robot’s back side) and the two push-button switches 1 and As described in Subsections 3.2 and 3.3, because users
2 are set at the back of the two slide switches, as shown can intuitively input instructions to the robot, learners can
in Fig. 2. One of the slide switches is a power switch and create programs while imagining the robot movements.
the other is a change-over switch between the program in- Moreover, as the programs are executed with a pen placed
put and execution. A total of 256 steps of instructions can in the robot, which allows learners to record the robot’s
be input to the robot and they are stored in the memory moving track, they can easily confirm the performance
addresses 0 to 255. When the power switch is on, the in- of the programmed robot. Fig. 6 shows an example of
struction at address 0 is displayed to be executed by the a program to draw the left half of an arrow. The program
users. can either be executed after performing input of all the in-
To execute the program, the slide switch is set at “ex- structions or by confirming the input instructions one by
ecution” and switches 1 and 2 are pressed on and off si- one. During the workshops, the learners are given a task
multaneously to start the program execution. It is also to complete the program by drawing the remaining half of
possible to only execute the instructions displayed by the the arrow, as shown in Fig. 6.
red LEDs by just pressing switch 2 on and off. The developed teaching-aid robot can handle various
Program inputs are performed by a combination of instructions that can be used by learners, such as repeti-
the above-mentioned slide switches and push-button tions, conditional judgments, and sensor inputs. In ad-
switches. The instructions given to the robot can dition, the users can create sequentially structured pro-
be changed or set by operating the three push-button grams, which can even be run by elementary school stu-
switches 3, 4, and 5 below the yellow LEDs, as shown dents. For example, the elementary students will be able
in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 illustrates the sequence of the instruc- to create a program instructing the robot to repeat the
tion input shown in Fig. 4: slide the “slide switch” to the “move straight forward and turn” movement four times.
program side and press the “on and off” switches 1 and 2 Hence, the robot could be used to help students learn ge-
(push-buttons) simultaneously to flash the yellow LED on ometry such as LOGO/Turtle [9]. This will be further ex-
the left side. Lighting of the two red LEDs can be changed plained in the following section.
over by pressing switch 3 (push-button) below the flashing
yellow LED. The flashing yellow LED can be changed by
pressing switch 4 or 5 (push-button) and the correspond- 4. Characteristics and Educational Use of
ing red LED lighting can be changed accordingly. Teaching-Aid Robot
The red lit LEDs indicate one instruction for the robot
to move. The instruction can be stored in the memory by Lego Mindstorms is used by a wide range of educa-
pressing switch 2 (push-button). Once an instruction is tional institutions including elementary schools and uni-
stored in the memory, the red lit LEDs display the next versities, as explained in Section 1. Such wide use of
memory address for approximately one second and then Lego Mindstorms may be attributed to its combined na-
the instruction at the said memory address. Any subse- ture that allows developing programs based on a variety
quent instructions can be created or changed in a similar of simple and complex mechanisms using standardized
way. You can return to earlier address by pressing the parts. This section describes the extensibility of the devel-
switch 1 in succession. After switch 1 pressed, the eight oped teaching robot, particularly the wide range of appli-

984 Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017

 Teaching-Aid Robot with Intuitive Motion Instruction Set

Data Buffer
 㻌
T Resistor T Resistor Instruction Accumulator Flag
X Y Resistor A Resistor Memory
Stack 0䡚255
Pointer SP Case button lid
Program
Counter PC Spring
ALU Control
Circuit Rubber
Address Input / Outpu㼠
Buffer
Flow of Data Sensor
Flow of Control Actuator
 㻌 Speaker
LED
Fig. 8. Teacup carrying robot.
Fig. 7. Virtual computer architecture.

Table 1. Instruction set of the robot.

robot in a short period of time. This may be attributed to
Instruction Mnemonic Hex data the interrelation between the bit instruction patterns used
Forward FWD n 5n: 0101 n8n4n2n1
Backward REV n An: 1010 n8n4n2n1
to move the robot, their displays, and the motor (actua-
Turn Right RGT n 6n: 0110 n60n30n15n7.5 tors) arrangements, which allows the intuitive understand-
Turn Left LF n 9n: 1001 n60n30n15n7.5 ing of the program instructions. Using minimal operation
Random Motion IRG 30: 0011 0000
Stop STP n 0n: 0000 n2n1n0.5n0.25 buttons that are arranged along the display LEDs helps the
Speed SPD n 3n: 0011 n50n25n12.5n6.25 users intuitively operate the robot.
Sound SND 7n: 0111 nnnn
Random Number RND B0: 1011 0000 A compact teaching-aid robot has been produced using
Display On/Off DSP ON B1: 1011 0001 simplified inputs and display outputs. Thus, such a handy
Increment INC B2: 1011 0010
Decrement DEC B3: 1011 0011 teaching tool can be used by every junior high and high
school student, as it can be set on his/her classroom desk.
Repeat ENDFOR F0: 1111 0000
Jump without D0: 1101 0000 On the other hand, as the push-button switches are
condition JMP nn n128n64n32n16 n8n4n2n1 not used to execute the robot’s programs, such programs
Jump with Ds: 1101 0s4s2s1
condition sw JMP sws nn n128n64n32n16 n8n4n2n1 can be created using sensor inputs instead of push-button
Jump with Df: 1101 1f<0f=0f>0 switches. The following subsection describes an exam-
condition flag JMP f nn n128n64n32n16 n8n4n2n1
End END FF: 1111 1111
ple, in which push-button switches are used as touch sen-
sors. Another example, in which the light sensors are par-
allelly connected with the push-button switches is also ex-
cations it offers for elementary and universities students plained. Despite its compact size, the developed teaching-
and introductory level employees. aid robot exhibits high extensibility offering a variety of
learning applications. Examples are shown in the follow-
ing sections.
4.1. Virtual Computer Architecture
The program instructions to be used by the developed
4.2.1. Teacup Carrying Robot Without Modifying
teaching-aid robot are created on the virtual computer
Developed Teaching-Aid Robot
shown in Fig. 7. These instructions must be simple, as the
virtual computer memory is small, no more than 256 bites, As described in Section 3, the developed teaching-aid
with just one utility register. Table 1 shows a part of the robot has a total of five push-button switches to create and
instruction set, which lists some instructions to move the execute the programs. These push-button switches can
robot on the algorithms including the general register and also be used to give instructions to control the robot, as
the register values. these switch sensors are connected to the input port of the
The robot moves according to the program using a microcomputer. Specifically, there are five jump instruc-
combination of instructions instead of the values set for tions, each corresponding to each of the five push-button
the actuators, such as the motor’s rotational speeds and switches. Hence, when one of the push-button switches
numbers of rotations. Thus, the users can confirm how are pressed, the instruction can be jumped to any arbi-
the instructions move the robot. trary address for execution. The following is an example,
As the virtual computer possesses the basic functions in which the above-mentioned function is used to operate
of a real computer, the programming knowledge acquired the push-button switches as sensors.
by the developed teaching-aid robot is useful to learn pro- Figure 8 shows a teacup carrying robot using the devel-
gramming and other computer-related subjects. oped teaching-aid robot. This is a mechanical doll robot
(teacup carrying doll) produced by Edo Period. The robot
puts a cup of tea on a tray and carries it to a guest. It halts
4.2. Extensibility as Mechatronics Teaching Mate- there while the guest is drinking, then puts the cup back
rials to the tray to return to the starting point.
The workshops and classes offer a wide range of learn- The original robot can fit in a CD case, as shown in
ers the programming knowledge required to create and Fig. 2. The bottom lid of CD case has a shaft in the center
execute basic programs using the developed teaching-aid that can be reversed upside down and inserted into the

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 985

Noguchi, T. et al.

6[V]
open collector
10kȍ output to SW3
- 10kȍ
+ 2SC1815
330ȍ 5kȍ
10k 2kȍ

TPR-105 LMC662
open collector
10kȍ output to SW4
- 10k
+ 2SC1815
330ȍ 5kȍ
10kȍ 2kȍ
Sensor
TPR-105 LMC662

Fig. 11. Light sensor circuit for a line tracing robot and
Fig. 9. Line tracer robot. transistor outputs with open collector output.

Forward
㻌 1cm up by the resistor to a positive voltage, parallelly connect-
ing the light sensor output and the push button switch al-
address mnemonic hex data
No lows them to function as a wired OR.
0 FWD 1 51 Right 㻌sensor
1 JMP sw4, 6 D4 06 As it is possible to install an outward extending sensor
3 RGT 1 61 or an extension circuit without modifying the robot, the
Turn right 7.5r
4 JMP 1 D0 01 developed teaching-aid robot could also be used as an in-
6 JMP sw3, 0 D3 00
troductory training tool for technicians. When the robot is
8 LFT 1 91
9 JMP 0 D0 06
used, learners must perform their tasks under strong con-
No
11 END FF Left sensor
㻌 straints, such as limited instruction sets, memory areas,
and limited input/output ports. On the other hand, such
Turn left 7.5r
constraints may be beneficial for beginners, who can only
㻌
focus on performing their tasks under such limited condi-
tions within the above-mentioned framework.
Fig. 10. Line tracing program and its flow chart.
4.3. Education Using Teaching-Aid Robots
This section will explain how the developed teaching-
robot’s center hole to serve as a stable tray. When a spring aid robot could be used for teaching programming at a
made of a soft wire is rolled twice around the center shaft, wide range of educational institutions including elemen-
the tray can be slightly lifted with no teacup on it. Then, tary schools, junior high schools, engineering institutions
an eraser with an appropriate thickness can be attached to for higher education, and for training new employees. The
the tray using a double-sided tape so that the tray carrying following section describes how the developed teaching-
the teacup can press down switch 3 (push-button) to be aid robot could be used at respective institutions.
converted into a sensor. The program to control the above-
mentioned operations can be created with no more than 14 4.3.1. Technical Courses at Junior High Schools
lines of instructions.
One of the technical courses to be learned in junior high
schools is “Information-Related Technologies,” which in-
4.2.2. Line Tracing Robot with Extended Sensors volves the design and production of digital pieces of
This subsection shows another example that uses the in- work and using programming for measurement and con-
put port connected with the push-button switches. Fig. 9 trol [10]. As the technical courses offered to junior
shows a line tracing robot produced by installing light high schools deal with a relatively wide range of fields,
sensors on the robot. Fig. 10 shows the flow chart and pro- it is challenging for teachers to practically teach such
gram to control the line tracing robot. The program con- lessons, especially considering that only few schools have
sists of a combination of eight steps (12 bites) of instruc- specially-trained information technology teachers. Un-
tions, as shown in Fig. 10. The instructions to jump to the der the circumstances, it is certainly challenging for both
addresses designated by the sensor values, which are par- teachers and students to teach and learn how to operate
allelly connected to switches 4 and 3 (push-buttons), are computers (PCs) and control systems within a limited pe-
incorporated at addresses 1 and 6 of the program shown in riod of time.
Fig. 10. The light sensor displays 0 when it detects a line, As described in Subsection 4.2, the developed
which is the same value obtained when the push button teaching-aid robot consists of a computer, sensors, and
switch is pressed. actuators that are required in teaching “Information-
Figure 11 shows the light sensor circuit. As the light Related Technologies” courses. Thus, the developed
sensor output is an open collector and the computer input robot should be used as an optimum teaching-aid tool to
port that connected with the push button switch is pulled teach “Information-Related Technologies” courses, as it

986 Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017

 Teaching-Aid Robot with Intuitive Motion Instruction Set

can execute programs by itself and can easily create pro-

grams by combining sensors and actuators functions.

4.3.2. Programming Education at Engineering Higher

Educational Institutions
A large number of students at national institute of tech-
nology and engineering universities have no prior pro-
gramming experience. As many courses in engineering
colleges and universities involve computer science and
technology, the students are required to learn the technical
matters related to these subjects.
As described in Subsection 4.1, the virtual computer
embedded in the developed teaching-aid robot has basic
functions similar to real computers. In addition, the de-
veloped robot has functions to learn computer mechanism
and incorporate different types of programming as well.
Such features help beginners to learn programming.
It is necessary to prove that the developed robot is an
effective teaching-aid tool for introductory programming
courses offered to engineering students in higher educa- Fig. 12. Pictures of ROBOT classroom.
tional institutions, and allows students to acquire the basic
knowledge necessary to study specialized subjects.

4.3.3. Mechatronics Training for New Employees The developed robot can be used even in environments
where no PCs are available. In October 2011, workshops
Mechatronics training for new employees needs to be
were held for elementary and junior high school students
adapted to new graduates with diverse backgrounds. On
in Muroran City in collaboration with Muroran Institute
the other hand, sequencers or computers are often used to
of Technology [a]. Other workshops for elementary and
control a variety of workplace devices.
junior high school students were also held in Sapporo City
The developed teaching-aid robot allows different lev-
in August 2012 as a part of the General Lecture Event
els of learners to easily learn programming and use the
Plan 3 “Robotics Workshop” at the Robotics Society of
robot as a teaching tool to learn mechatronics. The teacup
Japan’s 30th Academic Lecture Meeting [b]. No PCs
carrying robot described in Subsection 4.2.1 presents an
were available in both training venues.
extended application of the developed robot without mod-
ifications. The line tracing robot described in Subsec-
tion 4.2.2 is another extended application example of the 5.2. Assembly of Robot
developed teaching-aid robot with newly installed sensor
Figure 12 shows images captured during the work-
circuits. Hence, the developed robot can be used for learn-
shops held at Kushiro College for elementary and junior
ing computer mechanism and mechatronics training by
high school students. The workshops offered morning
installing sensors to extend its functions or by creating
and afternoon sessions, during which, for two hours in
corresponding programs.
the morning, the participating students first learned how
Accordingly, it is necessary to verify that the developed
to use the tools and assemble a robot and, subsequently,
robot is an effective teaching aid tool to help new em-
for two hours in the afternoon, they learn how to operate
ployees acquire the basic mechatronics and programming
the robot and create a programming task. Despite the rel-
knowledge.
atively wide range of ages, all the students finished build-
ing their robot within the set time.
In the afternoon session, they were given a task to draw
5. Robot Use at Workshops for Elementary and their own initials. As the robot is portable, they could
Junior High School Students manually move the robot or change its course. Fig. 13
shows the results of the task assigned to the students at
5.1. Actual Results at Workshops the workshops. As shown in Fig. 13(a), the students grad-
Workshops have been held using the developed ually improved the program to attain their intended let-
teaching-aid robot at National Institute of Technology, ters. Figs. 13(c), (d), and (e) show that the letter “k” was
Kushiro College (Kushiro College) twice a year over ten drawn in a different order by each student: Figs. 13(c)
years. The workshop is intended for students in their fifth and (d) show that the participants regulated the program
year of elementary school to the third grade of junior high so that the oblong lines of letter “k” could meet at one
school. A total of fifteen to twenty students participate in point, while Fig. 13(e) shows that the robot’s characteris-
the workshop each time. Some of the students at Kushiro tics and configurations were not appropriately considered
College participated in such workshops in the past. as the participants used a pen narrower than the hole, the

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 987

Noguchi, T. et al.

Table 2. Questionnaire survey findings.

Date Breakdown of Participants Responses to Question-

naires
ձ㻌 ղ㻌
㻌 2014.12 10 students in the fifth year Very fun: 86%,
at elementary school, 3 stu- Kind of fun: 14%,
ճ㻌 dents in the sixth year at ele- Have understood: 79%,
mentary school, 1 student in Have almost understood:
(a)㻌 (b)㻌 the first grade at junior high 21%
school.
2015.8 4 students in the fifth year Very fun: 100%,
at elementary school, 4 stu- Have understood: 46%,
dents in the sixth year at Have almost understood:
elementary school, 2 stu- 54%
dents in the first grade at ju-
(c)㻌 (d)㻌 (e)㻌 nior high school, 1 student
in the second grade at ju-
Fig. 13. Challenge to write an initial letter and a picture of nior high school, 2 students
a girl creating a program through trial and error processes. in the third grade at junior
high school.
2015.12 6 students in the fifth year Very fun: 100%,
at elementary school, 4 stu- Have understood: 82%,
dents in the sixth year at ele- Have almost understood:
position of the pen tip was shifted to the opposite side of mentary school, 1 student in 18%
the first grade at junior high
the robot’s motion direction, and it did not return to the school.
original position when the robot moved back and forth. 2016.8 8 students in the fifth year Very fun: 93%,
Although any differences in the programs created by at elementary school, 4 stu- Kind of fun: 7%,
dents in the sixth year at el- Have understood: 50%,
learners are often not evident in the task of creating a line ementary school, 2 students Have almost understood:
tracing program, the tasks of creating programs for draw- in the first grade at junior 50%
high school.
ing letters or figures could yield diversified results. 2016.12 7 students in the fifth year Very fun: 100%,
Figure 13(a) shows their trial-and-error efforts in pro- at elementary school, 5 stu- Have understood: 67%,
gramming ( 1 to  3 ): adjusting the lengths of vertical dents in the sixth year at el-
ementary school, 3 students
Have almost understood:
33%
lines and the angles of oblong lines in the letter “N.” Addi- in the first grade at junior
high school.
tional efforts were required to enhance the students draw-
ing skills when they performed the figure drawing task.
ten years, each of which was favorably evaluated by the
5.3. Programs to Be Well Devised participants. A total of 15 students including seven in the
The developed teaching-aid robot has a simple structure fifth year at elementary schools, five in the sixth year at
as shown in Fig. 2; using stepping motors for the actua- elementary schools, and three in the first grade at junior
tors makes the robot’s track reproducible. However, the high schools who participated in the workshops held in
CD’s center hole is one-size larger than the typical pen’s December 2016. All the participants agreed that “they
thickness, which makes it difficult to draw a straight line. have had fun participating in the workshops.” Ten of them
It is also difficult to draw an intended angle unless the responded that “they have understood” the contents of the
distance between the left and right wheels is properly ad- lectures (mainly programs) and five of them responded
justed. Each robot is slightly different from the others. that “they have almost understood.”
Generally, digitally controlled devices can only make uni- Each questionnaire survey achieved similar favorable
form reproducibility; however, the programs need to be responses, which suggests that as the participants can in-
well devised when using the teaching-aid robot to draw tuitively understand the instructions given for the robot to
intended figures. move and the motor’s rotational directions, they did not
When learning programming, the learners can deepen find it difficult to program the robot. Table 2 summarizes
their understanding by repeatedly perform the task the questionnaire survey findings of the five latest work-
through trials and errors processes. Using the developed shops. Although each questionnaire has twelve items of
teaching-aid robot, learners can hardly perform the task questions, Table 2 only shows the responses to two of
in only one trial, because they cannot expect to achieve them regarding how the participants felt about the work-
the same results even if they copy the programs success- shops and how well they understood the contents. To the
fully used by other people to perform their tasks. In other question “What impressions have you got from the work-
words, these characteristics indicate that the developed shops,” they were told to select one out of the following
robot is considered as an effective programming learning five responses: (1) very fun; (2) kind of fun; (3) fair; (4)
tool. little fun; (5) no fun at all. To the question “How well
they have understood the contents,” they were told to se-
lect one out of the following three responses: (1) have
5.4. Questionnaire Survey Findings well understood; (2) have almost understood; (3) too dif-
Questionnaire surveys were conducted with the partic- ficult to understand. Incidentally, no student responded
ipants at the end of each workshop. As described in Sub- “too difficult to understand.”
section 5.1, the workshops were held twice a year over The above-mentioned questionnaire survey findings

988 Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017

 Teaching-Aid Robot with Intuitive Motion Instruction Set

prove that the developed teaching-aid robot helps users

Table 3. Student impressions about the teaching materials.
learn programming better than the other teaching tools.
For example, “Dolittle,” a teaching tool to learn pro- Impressions
gramming by drawing geometrical figures using a simi-
1 I am amazed to see the programmed robot normally
lar method as the developed teaching-aid robot, is widely move according to the given instructions, as this is my
used for elementary to senior high schools as an improved first robot programming experience.
teaching method [e]. Kanemune et al. reported the ju- 2 This is my first programming experience in my life. At
nior high schools programming lessons using “Dolittle” the beginning, I did not know how to operate the robot
to teach the technical courses [11]. The “Dolittle” lessons and I had to ask my classmates many times, which made
think that I am poor in programming. Nevertheless, I am
were given for eleven hours with a total time of 50 min × impressed to realize that not only the simple instructions
11 and the students were asked to respond to the question- but also more complex instructions like repetition can be
naire at the end of each lesson regarding “fun,” “achieve- performed in no more than eight digits.
ment,” and “difficulty” in four grades. The questionnaire 3 At the beginning, I had a preconception that: “program-
survey findings reportedly showed that as the lessons pro- ming is difficult.” However, I have had fun with the be-
ginner’s training, as I can program a robot the way I
gressed, the students began to feel the lessons were getting want and can actually make such robots move.
more difficult; however, they began to feel that the lessons
4 It is a good experience to learn and understand program-
were more fun. ming using such simple learning methods.
To examine the ease of use of the developed teaching-
aid robot, the questionnaire survey findings were com-
pared with those of the “Dolittle” at the stage of computer offered for elementary and college students” as described
use and initial programming. When “Dolittle” was used, in Subsection 2.3.
the students learned how to set the computer and to draw Hence, the users positive reaction regarding the newly
a triangle or a square using a turtle on the computer for developed teaching-aid robot compared to “Dolittle” indi-
the first two hours, which is similar to the timeframe allo- cates its effectiveness as a tool for teaching introductory
cated to programming and performing the lesson contents programming.
using the newly developed teaching-aid robot.
The questionnaire survey conducted at the end of the
second hour of the “Dolittle” lessons revealed that nearly 6. Use of Developed Teaching-Aid Robot at
40% of the students responded negatively to the ques-
tion regarding fun (two lowest grades); nearly 40% of Higher Educational Institutions
the students also responded negatively to the question re-
garding achievement, and nearly 60% of the students re- 6.1. Use of Developed Teaching Materials Robot at
sponded negatively to the question regarding difficulty. Universities
On the other hand, the findings of the questionnaire sur- The teaching-aid robot has been further developed
vey conducted after the workshops held using the devel- since 2013 in cooperation with National Institute of Tech-
oped teaching-aid robot indicate that most of the students nology, Kushiro College and Muroran Institute of Tech-
responded positively to the similar questions as described nology. The FY 2015 lessons given at Muroran Insti-
in Table 2. tute of Technology, which involve using the developed
The students positive reactions may be attributed to the teaching-aid robot, are introduced. The class dubbed
fact that many students were assigned moderately diffi- “PBL seminar for freshmen” is intended for 190 fresh-
cult tasks that involved using the teaching-aid robot to re- men students in the Department of Electronics and Sci-
peatedly draw figures until they could successfully draw ence to deepen their understanding and boost their mecha-
their intended figures as shown in Fig. 13. Thus, success- tronics skills. The teaching-aid robot was used for three
fully performing their drawing tasks boosted their sense of the fifteen practice training classes. The freshmen stu-
of achievement. dents who attend the seminar have little knowledge about
The developed teaching-aid robot can facilitate the stu- programming or mechatronics. During the classes, they
dents’ trials and errors in programming, because the sim- practice: (1) assembling and programming a robot; (2)
ple relationships between the robot’s mechanism and the creating programs for drawing figures; (3) using the pro-
program instructions can be intuitively understood by the gramming robot to draw experiments. Finally, they sub-
students. They can get engaged in programming, which mit their reports.
is based on understanding that instructions sets constitute The PBL freshmen seminar includes beginner students
the programs and that the order of the instructions corre- who get engaged in assembling and programming a robot
sponds to the address. The developed teaching-aid robot, as well. They are given a task to describe a program in
therefore, meets Condition 2 “to have a set of instructions hexadecimal machine language and draw a figure using
that can intuitively be understood” as explained in Sub- trial and error approach. The task begins with drawing
section 2.3. Considering that the workshops participants a letter on the sequentially structured program and ends
are elementary school and junior high school students, the with drawing a figure on the repetition program. Table 3
developed teaching-aid robot also meets Condition 3 “to shows some of the impressions they expressed in their re-
be used for all introductory computer educations levels ports.

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 989

Noguchi, T. et al.

calculation problems is 3.1 per 4 problems. In the subse-

quent regular tests regarding the simple calculations and
program creation by machine language, the average cor-
rect answer rate was 80%. Similar results were reported
after the FY 2016 tests.

7. Summary
In this study, a robot incorporating a microcomputer
was developed and introduced to the students who partic-
Fig. 14. Programming class using the robot (2015). ipated in the workshops held for elementary and junior
high schools. Some of the potential applications of the
developed robot were introduced to beginner program-
ming students from universities and national institute of
6.2. Use of Developed Teaching Materials Robot at technology. The unique characteristics of the developed
National Institute of Technology teaching-aid robot, which are not possessed by any other
Since FY 2015, the developed teaching-aid robot has teaching tool were explained, and are as follows: (1) it is
been used in the “Introduction to Mechanical Engineer- structured to record its moving track with a pen inserted
ing” class offered to sophomores in the Faculty of Elec- in the center hole; (2) its control instructions can be intu-
trical Engineering at Kushiro College. The last two lec- itively understood by users; (3) the input interface consists
tures (90 min × 2) of the class involve teaching a unit of few push-button switches to directly input the program.
of sequence control, in which the students are given a This robot has great potential to be used as a teaching-aid
task to perform basic operations and draw a figure using tool.
a sequentially structured program. Fig. 14 shows a pic- A wide range of learners can simultaneously use the
ture of the programming classroom. The students in this developed teaching-aid robot, as it enables its users to
class have some programming experience; however, they intuitively create programs. Additionally, this robot can
have no prior knowledge about mechatronics control or be used in any environments where no PCs are available;
machine language. The two lectures progressed smoothly thus, learners can visit any location where they can use
with no particular difficulty in creating and executing the it. This may be an unprecedented teaching tool for pro-
program. Most of the students understood how to pro- gramming learners, because they can use it for training
gram the teaching-aid robot during the lectures. The pre- and review purposes anywhere and anytime.
test and post-test results regarding their level of under-
standing are described in the following subsection.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scien-
6.3. Students’ Degrees of Understanding tific Research (C) (24501168), (C) (16K01150) and by the Grant-
in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (24118709).
The basic programming knowledge of the students who
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[Accessed November 14, 2017] Address:
2-32-1 Otanoshike-Nishi, Kushiro, Hokkaido 084-0916, Japan
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Membership in Academic Societies:
• The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)
Name: • Japanese Society for Information and Systems in Education (JSiSE)
Takafumi Noguchi
• The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)

Affiliation:
Professor, Field of Electrical Engineering, De-
partment of Creative Engineering, National In-
stitute of Technology, Kushiro College
Name:
Sakae Inamori

Address: Affiliation:
2-32-1 Otanoshike-Nishi, Kushiro, Hokkaido 084-0916, Japan Technical Staff, National Institute of Technol-
Brief Biographical History: ogy, Kushiro College
1980- National Institute of Technology, Kushiro College
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• T. Noguchi, K. Chida, and S. Inamori, “The Creation of a Sustainable
Learning Environment in which Students from Beginner to Advanced can
Learn Programming Seamlessly,” J. of JSiSE, Vol.32, No.1, pp. 59-70, Address:
2015. 2-32-1 Otanoshike-Nishi, Kushiro, Hokkaido 084-0916, Japan
Membership in Academic Societies: Brief Biographical History:
• The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ) 2005- National Institute of Technology, Kushiro College
• Japan Society for Information and Systems in Education (JSiSE)
Main Works:
• “Development and Practice of “Ex-Navi” for Assisting of Student
Experiments based on Pair Programming Method,” The Institute of
Name: Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers Technical Report,
Hidekazu Kajiwara Vol.115, No.319, pp. 47-50, 2015.
Membership in Academic Societies:
Affiliation: • Japanese Society for Information and Systems in Education (JSiSE)
Associate Professor, College of Information • The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers
and Systems, Graduate School of Engineering, (IEICE)
Muroran Institute of Technology

Address:
27-1 Mizumoto-cho, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan
Brief Biographical History:
1995- Research Assistant, National Institute of Technology, Kushiro
College
2002- Associate Professor, National Institute of Technology, Kushiro
College
2013- Associate Professor, Muroran Institute of Technology
Main Works:
• H. Kajiwara, M. Arai, T. Noguchi, and T. Nakamura, “Development of
Rockfall Prevention Net Climbing Robot Using a Quadric Chain,” J. of
Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.18, No.3, pp. 312-315, 2006.
Membership in Academic Societies:
• The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)
• The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE)
• The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.29 No.6, 2017 991

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