EAGER: Building a ROS Education Ecosystem

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Oregon State University proposes to develop and evaluate a model for making modern robotics software techniques, platforms, and models accessible for education. The Open Source Robotics Foundation's (OSRF) Robot Operating System (ROS) is a widely used software architecture for academic robotics research. The project will: 1. develop and curate open-source curricular materials that will allow educators to more easily deploy ROS in their classes at all levels; 2. ensure that these materials are accessible to both the students in a formal education setting and also to non-traditional learners in an informal setting; 3. provide concrete advice and guidelines for overcoming the common logistical problems of deploying and running a robotics class with ROS; 4. work with robot retailers to develop a "classroom pack" of hardware and software that integrates with the curricular materials to reduce the overhead of starting a new class using ROS; and 5. start to build a community of educators and learners, at all levels, invested in using ROS in their classes and other educational activities.