LEVERAGING MOBILE DEVICES TO ENHANCE THE PERFORMANCE AND EASE OF PROGRAMMING FOR LOW-COST MOBILE ROBOTS

Programming simple robots allows teachers to reinforce unified science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts. However, for many educators, the cost and computer requirements for robotics kits are prohibitive. As mobile devices have become increasingly ubiquitous, low cost, and powerful, they may prove to be an attractive means of coding for, controlling, and enhancing the capabilities of low-cost mobile robots. This study looks into the viability of using LEGO Mindstorms NXT and Google Android devices by using Bluetooth to establish a link between the two. This allows for the exchange of live data remotely for use in various applications with the hope of creating a low-cost mobile programming environment. The mobile applications developed were able to successfully exchange data with NXT hardware via Bluetooth and show evidence that mobile devices can be used as a tool to assist in robotic programming in education.