Elephant In the Classroom: Elephant Robotics Debuts Refreshed Learning Tools

Elephant Robotics (ER) recently announced fresh, off-the-shelf educational offerings. Including the ultraArm P340, an upgraded robotic arm, and the artificial intelligence (AI) Robot Kit 2023, the educational suite offers a newly updated textbook and refreshed tutorials. Elephant Robotics designs and engineers innovative bionic and collaborative robots with application areas spanning education, automotive, R&D, life science, electronics, and metal processing industries.

Elephant Robotics enhances its educational offering with the addition of improved software and hardware. Image used courtesy of Elephant Robotics

Robotics Education Thriving, Growing Fast

Robotics in education is thriving in the U.S., and growing fast around the world. In 2022, the global educational robot market size was valued at $1.03 billion, and predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 24.8% between 2023 and 2030, according to Grand View Research.

With the popularity of initiatives like the FIRST Robotics Competition, there has been a considerable increase in enthusiasm for robotics and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. Numerous universities have set up centers for robotics research and degree programs. Collaborations between businesses and educational institutions are also increasingly widespread. Countries all over the world have been incorporating robotics into education to give students the necessary skills for the robotics and automation-enhanced workforce of the future.

Elephant Vision: AI Kit 2023

Elephant Robotics’ robotic arms are well-known for being portable, user-friendly, and economical. These attributes help make them an ideal fit for education and training. 

Elephant Robotics improved its AI Kit as well, improving its flexibility and scalability. Offering enhancements to hardware, algorithms, and software, students and educators now have access to some of the most advanced robotics technology and training on the planet. For example, Elephant Robotics’ "Machine Vision and Robotics" textbook, the centerpiece of the company’s offering, features five algorithm sessions and programming tutorials.

Offering e a wealth of built-in features, the training arms and AI Kit boost students' understanding of programming and robotics and deliver a solid platform to begin exploring AI, smart vision, object identification, and object manipulation.

Raspberry Pi Development: myCobot 280

Elephant Robotics has also updated its 6-axis myCobot 280 robotic arm by making the associated software more accessible to students, educators, and programmers. Featuring Raspberry Pi 4B support, a range of actuators, sensors, and accessories (such as flexible, adaptable, parallel grippers, plus pen and phone holders) the bot is engineered to support custom applications. As its name implies, myCobot offers a 280-mm working radius and a 250 g payload.

Technologies incorporating Raspberry Pi 4B can benefit from improved processing speeds, graphics, and more rapid internet access. Image used courtesy of Raspberry Pi

Referring to the functionality of a given system, Raspberry Pi 4B supports specific hardware, and software to support the integration of the latest generation of Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single-board computers. The advantages of this latest model include a potent quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor, flexible choices for RAM from (2GB to 8GB), and improved graphics with support for dual 4K displays via micro HDMI ports. Elephant Robotics also offers USB 3.0 ports for more rapid information transfers and Gigabit Ethernet for swift internet access.

Another bot to grace the classroom is the cute, compact ultraArm P340. Its small footprint and ease of programming make it an ideal training tool. With access to the Vision Education module, students and programmers have the opportunity to learn more about the real-time computer vision library, OpenCV, inverse kinematics, the Python programming language, end-effector usage, principles of robot control, machine vision, and more. 

Industrial Cobot: myCobot Pro 600

Another innovative piece of robotic technology on offer is ER’s 2 kg payload myCobot Pro 600, a professional bot featuring a 600 mm reach, Raspberry Pi 4 B, and an adaptable microcontroller board created by Espressif Systems, ESP 32. 

Equipped with embedded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor, and general-purpose input and output (GPIO) pins, the myCobot Pro 600 is Arduino compatible. Its processing and wireless capabilities, and programming simplicity make it an ideal option for various projects and applications. Those who are familiar with Arduino can quickly switch to the ESP32 platform by using the libraries and resources that are already available, thanks to its Arduino compatibility.

The myCobot Pro 600 has a Robot Operating System (ROS) development environment, aiding rapid integration and deployment into the application environment. Developers can verify algorithms within a virtual environment, reducing the need for costly physical experimental spaces, and pushing forward development.