Lights, Cameras, Robots! A Multi-Paragdigm System for Programming Heterogeneous Robots

There are increasing numbers of robots and interfaces for programming them. As these systems proliferate, it becomes harder for teachers and STEM volunteers to oversee and use the systems. They either have to focus on a small number of systems or learn how to maintain and support multiple systems. This problem can be solved by having a single middleware layer that handles all communications between the programming interface, allowing for easy development of new interfaces and quick swaps between robots and editors. In this paper, we outline our work on developing a single middleware system that handles educational robots and editors. We demonstrate that it is possible to build a system, but a “one-size fits all” approach is not possible for all robots and editors. Instead, additional components are needed as intermediary layers to facilitate communications.