Barobo Raspberry Pi
For Advanced Physical Computing and CS Education
Raspberry Pi is a low-cost single-board computer. Barobo Raspberry Pi is designed to run C-STEMbian, a free open source Linux operating system, based on Raspbian, that was developed to enable absolute beginners to use Raspberry Pi effectively. C-STEMbian provides a user-friendly solution for physical computing--for making and building in the physical world, and for integrating sensors into Linkbot systems using Raspberry Pi. It is ideal for hands-on learning of STEM topics. Ch and ChIDE are freely available in C-STEMbian. All capabilities in Barobo Arduino-Uno-Compatible products are also available in Barobo Raspberry Pi. Further details and examples are outlined in the boxes below.
Raspberry Pi Starter Kit
The Raspberry Pi Starter Kit contains a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and the necessary accessories to quickly get started on various projects using Raspberry Pi with C-STEMbian.
Arduino-Compatible Starter Kit
The Arduino-Uno-Compatible Starter Kit contains an Arduino-Uno-Compatible board and necessary accessories. With this kit, all capabilities in Barobo Arduino-Uno-Compatible products are available in Barobo Raspberry Pi, and the user can get started with physical computing and a variety of projects using the C-STEM Physical Computing with Pi and Arduino curriculum.
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The components in the Raspberry Pi Starter Kit and the Arduino-Uno-Compatible Starter Kit are adequate for projects described in Part I and Part II of the introductory textbook Learning Physical Computing with Raspberry Pi for the Absolute Beginner.
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Control Linkbot and Lego Mindstorms NXT/EV3
The WiringPi functions of Raspberry Pi and robot functions can work together in a single program. Therefore, various devices such as push buttons and potentiometers in the Arduino-Compatible Starter Kit can be used to seamlessly control Linkbots and/or Lego Mindstorms NXT/EV3.
GPIOViewer for Testing Circuitry
GPIOviewer in C-STEM Studio is the easiest way to get started tinkering with electronics using Raspberry Pi. GPIOViewer can be used to check the circuitry in a breadboard before running a program.
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Simplest Possible Programming in C/C++ Using WiringPi
A Raspberry Pi board can be controlled using user-friendly C/C++ interpreter Ch with WiringPi functions. The programming environment allows students at young ages to learn C/C++, one of the most widely used standard programming languages in college and industry.
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The C/C++ Interpreter Ch on Raspberry Pi is bundled in C-STEMbian and free for academic use.
Debug Program Line-by-Line
Users can debug Raspberry Pi programs line-by-line with syntax highlighting in the debug mode of the ChIDE software. This allows the users to easily troubleshoot problems using logical and critical thinking.
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The step-by-step execution of each line of code also helps students understand the concepts of physical computing.
Graphical Visualization
The data acquired from the digital and analog input pins of a Raspberry Pi board can readily be plotted using the plotting and visualization capabilities of Ch.
Arduino-Uno-Compatible and Pi Sensor Kit
The Arduino-Uno-Compatible and Pi Sensor Pack is for teaching and learning physical computing using C-STEM Physical Computing with Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi curriculum. This pack contains accessories and sensors that supplement the Arduino-Uno-Compatible Starter Kit and Raspberry Pi Starter Kit, used in the full C-STEM Physical Computing with Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi curriculum.
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The components in Raspberry Pi Starter Kit and, Uno and Pi Sensor Pack are adequate for all projects described in Part I, Part II, and Part III of the introductory textbook Learning Physical Computing with Raspberry Pi for the Absolute Beginner.
Integrate Sensors into Linkbot Systems Through Raspberry Pi
Linkbot can be easily integrated and controlled with Raspberry Pi using a variety of sensors in the Barobo Robot Sensor Pack or standard off-the-shelf sensors. It allows students to play and learn with sensor-based robot motions such as line following, obstacle avoidance, responding to light and sound, displaying LCD graphics, and tracking motion using a camera.
Linkbot Pi Pack
The Linkbot Pi Pack provides essential components for the easy integration of sensors into Linkbot systems through Raspberry Pi.
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For a sample project using the Linkbot Pi kit, see the Raspberry Pi Linkbot Siren System.
Raspberry Pi Camera and Pan-Tilt for Image Processing and Machine Vision
The Raspberry Pi Camera and Pan-Tilt Pack can be used to capture images and videos in real-time. OpenCV can be used for image processing and machine vision for Linkbot systems through Raspberry Pi.
RoboPlay Video Competition
Projects using Linkbot and/or Barobo Raspberry Pi can be submitted for the RoboPlay Video Competition, which is a robotics-centric video competition for K-12 students. The competition is designed for students to learn robotics while having fun and exploring their creativity in writing, storytelling, art, music, choreography, design, video editing and film production, and at the same time seamlessly learning computing and STEAM subjects.
Mobile-C for Mobile-Agent Computing, IoT and AI
With Embedded Ch, Mobile-C in C-STEMbian is an IEEE FIPA (Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents) standard compliant multi-agent platform for supporting C/C++ mobile agents in networked intelligent mechatronic and embedded systems. It can be used for communication and control of multiple Linkbots. It can also be used for Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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