ERNA - embedded, self-calibrating robotic-arm for gamificated learning.

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Abstract

ERNA - Educational Robotic iNteractive Arm - is an embedded, self-calibrating robotic-system. ERNA in its recent configuration is capable to perform the game ``Tower of Hanoi.'' School children and university students, not familiar with the principle of recursion, can play the game against the robotic-system step by step. Trying to beat the robot, the players will acquire a solution approach based on recursion to optimally play and win ``Tower of Hanoi.'' ERNA is based on simple, low-budget components and can be rebuilt with different difficulties by high school children and univerity students. Several design challenges like mechanical tolerances, mass inertia, and switch bouncing, had to be handled to develop the robotic-system. This paper describes the design of the robotic-system and its application in detail.