Virtual robotic laboratory compatible mobile robots for education and research

Kerem Erdogmus, A.; Yayan, U.

With the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, distance education technologies have become critical for the whole world. With the development of these technologies, it is now possible for us to access educational tools and contents from anywhere, anytime. We see that robotic systems are also increasing in importance in this age of isolation. This situation requires that robotic education be expanded and made easily accessible. In this study, a few examples of mobile robots that can be used for robotic education and the virtual robotics laboratory system Uplat, which will make the use of these robots quite accessible, are described. The system allows users (or students) to access the virtual robotics lab via the web, control the simulated robots through interfaces, analyze and evaluate the experimental results. Compared to traditional learning methods, UPlat is an easier and better learning platform with open-source ROS tutorials. These tutorials can be launched from anywhere without dealing with complex Linux and ROS installations. All tools required for training are presented in a simplified interface, taking user experiences into account. These tools are presented to the user through the web interface using cloud technology and container technology. In this system, task trainings of four different types of mobile robots (EvaMars, EvaSec, ATEKS and AGV-OTA) designed to be used in many different robotic fields are presented with detailed learning outcomes. Thanks to these robots and improved robotics trainings, a wide perspective of robotics usage will be presented to those who will receive training in this field. © 2021 IEEE.