Exploring the Use of Multiagent Systems in Educational Robotics Activities

Abstract

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) have been demonstrated to be a useful tool for addressing complex problems by breaking them down into simpler tasks. In this paper, we explore the potential of the MAS approach in designing educational robotics learning experiences. Specifically, we aim to identify the pedagogical possibilities and technical considerations of using MAS in designing robot-based activities. We have designed three educational robotics experiences based on the MAS approach. The first experience describes the use of the MAS approach in creating a learning activity based on Multi-Robots Systems (MRS). The second experience describes the use of the MAS approach for implementing theater-based activities with MRS. Finally, the third experience outlines the implementation of an artificial cognitive architecture based on MAS to control the educational actions of an anthropomorphic social robot. The results reveal that MAS and MRS offer opportunities to design distributed learning environments with distributed artificial intelligence.