NITRO Clubs EU - Network of IcT Robo Clubs
The NITRO Clubs EU project aims to build a Network of IcT Robo Clubs, but more importantly, the project will provide the infrastructure, the know-how and the tools for its sustainable development and further expansion beyond the project limits.
The main objective of the project team is to contribute to the enhancement of the open, innovative education on key enabling technologies (KETs) in the partnering countries and the region. NITRO Clubs EU, which is being implemented in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, envisages the creation of a Network of Robo IcT Clubs and aims to set up several upskilling tools and trainings in the area of robotics.
Main project activities and outputs
- NITRO edutainment platform - a set of software tools for programming and remote control of educational robots. Having as a base the cost oriented educational mobile robot equipped with Arduino compatible microcontroller and different sensors, a software platform for performing different edutainment (education by entertainment) tasks will be developed within the project's scope.
- Virtual Robo Lab - the purpose of the Virtual Robo Lab is to give the students (after finishing the tasks related to building and programming the educational mobile robot) the opportunity to get a top-level understanding and some hands-on experience in more advanced robotics topics, without the need for expensive equipment (advanced mobile robot, laser scanners, and RGB-D cameras and so on).
- IT Robo Clubs Courses - the aim of the Courses is to introduce students and their teachers to the basics of robotics, mechanics and kinematics, controllers, hardware, sensors and actuators, software development and robot programming. The knowledge obtained will allow the students to design, control and program the educational mobile robot for the following tasks: line following, maze solving, obstacle avoidance and remote control.
- Teachers’ toolkit - a set of videos how to training and guides on the edutainment content, high level exercises, pedagogical guidelines, and a frequently asked questions database to train and support the teachers.
- IT Robo Games Platform - a software platform for managing gamified competitions of the VET school students from different countries. The virtual meeting place allows sharing of ideas and materials amongst community members, as well as open educational resources (OERs) and contest management.
- IT Robo Olympics - this activity rests on innovative and forward-looking methodology, rules and conditions for conducting robot competitions on the following disciplines: line following, maze solving and obstacle avoidance introduced in real time and manual remote control of educational robots. The competitions between participants in the Robo Olympics will help to educate more students in the multidisciplinary scientific field of Robotics, which includes mechanics, hardware, software, sensors and sensor systems.
Why is this a good practice?
NITRO Clubs EU scores high when it comes to sustainability. Effectively, the project's outputs will be designed in such a way so they remain available and accessible for people even after the project's lifecycle is completed.
The initiative also has a strong international dimension, involving several project partners and with the potential of being replicated in other contexts, target groups, and countries. Led by the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies - IICT in Bulgaria, NITRO Clubs EU's partners include:
- Secondary Scholl of Natural Science and Maths "Hristo Smirnenski" Pernik – PMG, Bulgaria
- Professional High School of Electrotechnics and Electronics "M.V.Lomonosov", Bulgaria
- Profesionalna Gimnazia Po Elektrotehnika I Avtomatika, Bulgaria
- University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania
- The National Association of Public Librarians and Libraries in Romania - ANBPR, Romania
- Technicka Univerzita V Kosiciach, Slovakia
- Stredna Priemyselna Skola Elektrotechnicka, Kosice, Slovakia
Associate Partners also participate in the project. These include the Bulgarian Robotic Association, the Institute of Solid Mechanics of Bulgarian Robotic Association, and the Institute of Solid Mechanics of the Romanian Academy.
