RobIn: A Half-baked Robot for Electronics in a STEM Context

Robotic kits in designs for STEM education are becoming popular during the last few years. However, many of them focus mainly on programming leaving aside the electronics and engineering parts of robotics. In this paper we present RobIn (Robotic Insect), a robotic design that supports the equivalent coexistence of programming, construction and argumentation processes in corresponding educational robotic activities. RobIn challenges students to change it, improve it and expand its prototype robotic skeleton by using every day and affordable materials. We also present a study where RobIn functioned as a boundary object among students from different specializations of a Vocational Technical School.