Did you know that Microsoft has a cool IDE for developing and simulating robots? I have had the chance to explore the Robotics SDK recently and found that it is so generic that it can be used not only for robots but also for a multi-sensor mission critical system.
The Robotics Studio was developed for research purposes by Microsoft Research and can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/robotics.
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Figure - The Visual Programming IDE for Robotics Studio
If you wish to learn more, I uploaded a Technical Introduction to Microsoft Robotics Studio Presentation for you to learn from.
Recently, I have started to work with the universities in Israel and especially with the computer sciences faculties. One of them expressed specific interest in teaching Robotics as part of their curriculum.
So, in case you're a faculty or just someone who wants to learn more, you can download the following learning materials:
- Robotics Curriculum - 10 step-by-step exercises and activities for getting students started in the world of Robotics. Modules use the ER1 robotics kit. This curriculum guide is fully accredited and meets national science education standards.
- Computer Sciences through Robotics Labs - The robotics introductory courseware is a set of labs that can be completed individually or as part of an introductory course on robotics. The labs take you through common robotics concepts such as reading sensors, controlling actuators, designing simple behaviors, and having a robot interacting with its environment using Microsoft Robotics Studio.
And if you want to get excited about some of the interesting stuff we're doing worldwide with the academy specific to robotics, you'll find this short presentation pretty insightful.
