The Thymio learning robot was originally developed by a team at the EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne) and the ECAL (Lausanne School of Art and Design). It is now distributed by the Mobsya Association and can also be purchased directly from us at the Tekmania Learning Center.
Thanks to a robust and functional design, Thymio II has been a valued part of our Adventures in Robotics courses for years. Thymio is a two-wheeled vehicle with a fixed chassis, a variety of distance and position sensors for navigation, and programmable control of motors, lights, and sounds.
The programming model is based on the most fundamental working principle in robotics: the sensor/actuator control loop. We describe in a program what should happen when certain
input conditions are met. Thanks to a simple, purely graphical programming environment, Thymio is perfectly suited for first experiences with computer science in lower grades.
The simple and neutral design is inviting, a projection surface for children's imagination and avoids gender stereotypes that are unfortunately often associated with technical toys.