Publications by Francesco Mondada

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This paper reports on a 3 years applied research project dealing with several inspection scenarios of power plants and resulting in many robot prototypes and 3 main achievements. The project is a common effort between industry and university, including ALS ...

With the introduction of educational robotics (ER) and computational thinking (CT) in classrooms, there is a rising need for operational models that help ensure that CT skills are adequately developed. One such model is the Creative Computational Problem S ...

Mobile robots have the potential to become the ideal tool to teach a broad range of engineering disciplines. Indeed, mobile robots are getting increasingly complex and accessible. They embed elements from diverse ﬁelds such as mechanics, digital electronic ...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital competencies, the need for a robust and universal method to assess students’ algorithmic thinking (AT) skills has become increasingly pronounced. Algorithmic thinking refers to the ability to analyse a problem a ...

Can robots in classroom reshape K-12 STEM education, and foster new ways of learning? To sketch an answer, this article reviews, side-by-side, existing literature on robot-based learning activities featuring mathematics and physics (purposefully putting as ...

This dataset contains the quantitative teacher data used to analyse the sustainability of an in-service teacher training program for Digital Education that took place from September 2019 to March 2020 in the Canton Vaud in Switzerland. As such, the study f ...

This paper presents the ”Mixed Societies of Robots and Vertebrates” project that is carried out by the Mobile Robotics group at EPFL, Switzerland in collaboration with the Unit of Social Ecology at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. The idea of the project is to study behavior in young chicks of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) by using mobile robots able to interact with animals and accepted as members of an animal group. In contrast to other studies where relatively simple robotic de

Collective and swarm robotics explores scenarios involving many robots running at the same time. A good platform for collective-robotic experiments should provide certain features among others: it should have a large battery life, it should be able to perc ...

Mobile robots are valuable tools for education because of both the enthusiasm they raise and the multidisciplinary nature of robotics technology. Mobile robots give access to a wide range of fields, such as complex mechanics, sensors, wireless transmission ...

We present a new robotic concept, called SWARM-BOT, based on a swarm of small and simple autonomous mobile robots called S-BOTs. S-BOTs have a particular assembling capability that allows them to connect physically to other S-BOTs and form a bigger robot entity, the SWARM-BOT. A SWARM-BOT is typically composed by 10 to 30 S-BOTs physically interconnected. S-BOTs can autonomously assemble into a SWARM-BOT but also disassemble again. This feature of the S-BOTs provides SWARM-BOT with self-assembling and self-

The Thymio II robot was designed to be used by teachers in their classrooms for a wide range of activities and at all levels of the curriculum, from very young children to the end of high school. Although the educationally oriented design of this innovativ ...

While Large Language Models (LLMs) can provide personalized support in learning, several studies have raised concerns regarding their use in education. Importantly, learning depends on how students engage with LLMs. This study examined how two types of LLM-based tutors shape students’ prompting practices, learning, and subsequent LLM-use: a Socratic-Guidance (SG) tutor, which structures interaction through dialogic questioning, and a Prompt-Refinement (PR) tutor that guides the formulation of effective prom

Magnetic wheels are a powerful solution to design inspection climbing robots with excellent mobility. Magnetic wheels optimization based on simulations and the results that were obtained on prototypes are presented. The measured adhesion was doubled betwee ...

We describe a new multi-robot system, named SWARM-BOTS, that exploits physical inter-connections to solve tasks that are impossible for a single robot. This is for instance the case of passing large gaps or high steps in all-terrain conditions. In order to achieve this type of autonomous collective operations, the design of the type of connection, as well as its sensors and actuators, plays a key role. This paper presents the choices made in the SWARM-BOTS project and the know-how collected until now. The r

The central idea behind this attempt is to merge common objects and robotics to obtain a new type of interactive artefact, we call robjects. Robjects provide services to everyday life and can be controlled by the user in a very intuitive way. Robjects take ...

Building over algorithms previously developed for digital pens, this article introduces a novel 2D localization technique for mobile robots, based on simple printed patterns. This method combines high absolute accuracy (below 0.3mm), unlimited scalability, ...

TREMO is a compact magnetic climbing inchworm with the capability to move in complex ferromagnetic environments. The robot fits inside a cylinder of 500 mm in height and 120 mm in diameter for an approximate weight of 800 g. It has a modular configuration ...

A swarm-bot is a robotic entity built of several autonomous mobile robots (called s-bots) physically connected together. This form of collective robotics exploits robot interactions both at the behavioral and physical levels. The goal of this paper is to a ...

In this paper we introduce a new robotic system, called swarm-bot. The system consists of a swarm of mobile robots with the ability to connect to/disconnect from each other to self-assemble into different kinds of structures. First, we describe our vision and the goals of the project. Then we present preliminary results on the formation of patterns obtained from a grid-world simulation of the system.

In this paper we investigate a novel approach to the evolutionary development of autonomous situated agents based on the assumption that the neural mechanisms underlying ontogenetic learning are themselves developed and shaped by evolutionary process. A genetic algorithm is used to evolve neural structures that can be continuously modified during life according to the mechanisms specified in the genotype. The evolutionary process is carried out on a real mobile robot. The analysis of one of the best evolved

Francesco Mondada

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Highly Compact Robots for Inspection of Power Plants

Teachers’ Perspective on Fostering Computational Thinking Through Educational Robotics

The e-puck, a Robot Designed for Education in Engineering

Development of algorithmic thinking skills in K-12 education: A comparative study of unplugged and digital assessment instruments

A review: Can robots reshape K-12 STEM education?

Dataset to Model the Sustainability of a Primary School Digital Education Curricular Reform and Professional Development Program

The PoulBot: a mobile robot for ethological studies on domestic chickens

The MarXbot, a Miniature Mobile Robot Opening new Perspectives for the Collective-robotic Research

Bringing robotics into formal education using the Thymio open source hardware robot

SWARM-BOT: A Swarm of Autonomous Mobile Robots with Self-Assembling Capabilities

A sociological contribution to understanding the use of robots in schools: the Thymio robot

Reflective Dialogue or Prompt Refinement? Effects of Tutor Scaffolding on Students' Independent LLM Use for Programming

Magnetic wheels optimization and application to the MagneBike climbing robot

Physical connections and cooperation in swarm robotics

Interactive Mobile Robotic Drinking Glasses

Real-Time High-Accuracy 2D Localization with Structured Patterns

Tremo: an inspection climbing inchworm based on magnetic switchable device

Superlinear Physical Performances in a SWARM-BOT

SWARM-BOT: Pattern Formation in a Swarm of Self-Assembling Mobile Robots

Evolution of Plastic Neurocontrollers for Situated Agents