The Thymio is a new educational robot created at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. This is a Open Source robot with a range of sensors that can be programmed in multiple ways to allow kids as young as 6 to start discovering coding.
Discover programming with Thymio and Aseba
Visual Programing Language (VPL)
Age: 6+
How does it work? It’s really easy. Drag and drop blocks of images in the centre of the screen, adjust them so that they do what you want, press Play and that’s it, you just programmed Thymio.
Blocky
Age: 9+
Developed by Google, Blockly is an ideal bridge between a visual and a text programming language. Assemble visual blocks that have the power of text programming.
Scratch
Age: 9+
Challenge yourself to program your Thymio robot with the new ScratchX Extension to avoid obstacles, follow a line, avoid falling off a table and much more.
Aseba Studio
Age: 12+
Aseba Studio allows you to program the Thymio in a text based language that has similarities to Pascal and Matlab. It allows a higher level of control than visual programming.
Features of programming Thymio
- Thymio simulator allows you to program and test a Thymio in various playgrounds (as shown to In image on left),
- No waiting for a compiler—as soon as your program has been written it ready to test … just hit PLAY, and
- Sensor data and variables are shown in real time when using the Thymio Wireless.
Thymio hardware features:
Features of programming Thymio:
- The Thymio Wireless module allows the Thymio’s to communicate with one another—this allows challenging scenarios to be created, such as the Traffic Scenario shown in the video below.
- The Thymio can talk—this is achieved using voices stored on a micro SD card located at the rear of the robot.
- The Thymio has a 3-axis Accelerometer that allows the Thymio to determine it’s angle… it can even balance itself on a moving ball as shown in the video below…
- The Thymio has RGB LEDs mounted around it’s body, allowing for colourful displays.
- The Thymio has been designed to be compatible with Lego pieces, allowing the Thymio to be used as the brain within a Lego structure.
