Modular Robotic Arm for Teaching Braille to Children with Normal Visual Acuity

Abstract

This paper introduces the design and development of a modular robotic arm with four degrees of freedom (DoF) intended for implementation in educational environments as an interactive robotics tool for teaching the Braille system. This project arose from the need for inclusive and accessible education, using robotics to bring Braille to a broader audience and encourage collaborative learning. Integrating direct and inverse kinematics, as well as dynamics and a cubic spline interpolator, ensures accurate and efficient movements. Additionally, a neural network model was developed and trained to calculate the kinematic inverse of the robotic arm, demonstrating a high level of accuracy and reliability in solving the kinematic inverse problem. The last link is modular, which allows switching between a writing tool to teach the Braille alphabet to people with normal visual acuity, a gripper, and a holding mechanism that will allow didactically placing different pieces to form any letter of the alphabet in Braille, as well as other classroom uses.