Easy-to-use hardware and software development with color intelligent connection signals and magnetic connectors for educational use

• Grant number: 18/00968-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2019
• End date: October 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Electrical, Magnetic and Electronic Circuits
• Principal Investigator: Diogo Garcia Cunha
• Grantee: Diogo Garcia Cunha
• Company: Digo Maker do Brasil Indústria de Software Ltda
• CNAE: Comércio atacadista de computadores, periféricos e suprimentos de informática ; Desenvolvimento e licenciamento de programas de computador não-customizáveis ; Atividades de ensino não especificadas anteriormente
• Associated research grant(s): 21/12005-3 - Study of educational methodologies based on constructionism to create content and projects to teach mathematics and science using IoT devices and a Virtual Learning Environment using machine learning as tutor, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/00707-3 - Efficiency analysis of FPGA and ATMEL microcontroller to apply in electronic platform based on easy-to-use to educational robotic, BP.TT; 19/00902-0 - Educational hardware and software development to apply in electric platform with intelligent and magnetic connectors, BP.PIPE

Abstract

This project includes the development of a easy-to-use prototyping board and integrated development software aimed at educational use to learn code and basic concepts in electronics and science for children from six (6) to eleven (11) years old. The device is Arduino compatible (shield), standard by the Arduino, being possible the operation of the board in stand-alone operation or as a Arduino expansion of pins and functionalities, initially to UNO and LEONARDO model. The hardware pins connector are fast magnetic colored pins with different formats for each communication protocol types, thus facilitating the connection between hardware controller and hardware sensor. To learn circuit assembly, the board also has colored LEDs for orientation, also based on communication protocols. Thus, each pin has a LED associated with the pin board with a specific color e.g.: I²C protocol pins with red LEDs, SPI protocol with blue LEDs and so on - whose pins are only lit when programmed. The software layout has a front-end based on pseudo-code or block-coded, with colored and illustrated structures, preformatted "drag-and-drop" similar to the open source software Scratch, created by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). (AU)