Open-Source Robotics: Investigation on Existing Platforms and Their Application in Education

In recent years a continuous effort to foster robotics at the earliest stages of education is reported. Robots' code and hardware are subjected to licensing, a fact that places manufacturers on the top of the beneficiaries of this new trend. Hence, open-source robotics (OSR) enter the mainstream, to enable rapid development on a lower budget. This paper provides an overview of the up-to-date commercial OSR platforms that can support education, in terms of hardware, software and simulators. The aim of the paper is to provide comprehensive knowledge of the available OSR platforms, according to their most recently reported applications in education, so as to enlighten teachers, amateurs and researchers. Extensibility and applicability are investigated, and comparison of features takes place. Future challenges and possibilities are also discussed.