Improving the level of digital literacy of education seekers using the example of creating a prototype model of a researcher robot

Abstract

Modern digital technologies require digital literacy among its users, which involves, in particular, the introduction of the basics of studying digital technology and robotics at each level of education. The difficulties of modern education do not allow for the widespread introduction and mastery of material related to the study of the basics of digital literacy and robotics at all stages of education. Robotics, as an applied science, is based on such disciplines as physics (mechanics), information technology (programming) and electronics. Accordingly, robotics at school can be integrated with such subjects as mathematics, physics, computer science. The authors focus on popular and accessible means of activating the educational process in this area, related to the construction of a robot researcher. The material related to the involvement of educational and design platforms designed for students with different levels of training is considered and presented. The concept idea is the development of a robot for exploring the planet Mars. This approach allows attracting the attention of young people in connection with the real successes of the planet exploration program achieved by engineers and scientists in a relatively short period of time. The authors also considered ways to master the basics of robotics by involving software simulators in the educational process. This approach is acceptable for higher education applicants, where the educational program trains specialists in the field of general engineering. The emphasis is on a modular development system consisting of blocks, each of which has its own parameters and functional purpose, which visualizes and simplifies the process of creating a virtual robot. An example of such an implementation of the design process is demonstrated by the Simulink tool in the MATLAB environment. This tool is integrated and supplemented by other components of MATLAB, which provides the opportunity to master and design more complex simulation systems. The introduction of such approaches in the education system is a necessary and important component in the training of future specialists in the field of digital technologies and robotics.