ARAISE: User-friendly robotics and AI platform for schools
Duration:
09/2025
—
08/2027
Total Time:
2 Years
Robot rental systems give schools and underrepresented groups access to modern technology, Photo: JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Kruusamäe
The Project
With ARAISE (Accessible Robotics and AI Supporting Education), we want to make robotics and AI education accessible to everyone. We are developing an open, easy-to-use robot platform with intuitive programming interfaces and inclusive human-robot interaction features. Through practice-oriented teacher training, multilingual teaching materials, and a robot rental system, we are enabling disadvantaged schools and underrepresented groups in particular to access modern technology. We are training 110 teachers from four countries and actively involving 1,200 students in 40 schools.
Our activities within the project
We contribute our experience in hardware and software development as well as human-robot interaction to the project. We develop and test software solutions, a web-based setup tool, and new interaction options for the educational robot Robotont. At the same time, we are expanding the robot to include the concept of block-based programming and evaluating hardware design in terms of user-friendliness and safety. We are also designing practical teaching concepts and supporting the implementation of training measures for teachers.
Research groups
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Sponsors
Erasmus+
Project Partners
Universität Tartu
Österreichische Computer Gesellschaft
Association Digital Fabrication Laboratory
Akademija strukovnih studija Politehnika
Project Details
With ARAISE, we are responding to the growing importance of robotics and artificial intelligence in education, society, and the economy. Our approach combines technical innovation with educational implementation to promote digital skills in a sustainable way.
We are developing an advanced, open-source robotics platform (Robotont) that is easy to set up, supports multimodal interactions (e.g., visual programming, gesture control, voice interaction), and can be manufactured locally at low cost using 3D-printable components. In addition, we are creating a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented robotics curriculum in five languages as well as practical teaching materials, which we are testing in four countries.
Through a train-the-trainer program, we are training 110 teachers who will pass on their knowledge in 40 schools, reaching at least 1,200 students. We are placing particular emphasis on involving girls and other previously underrepresented groups in STEM subjects.
Our robot rental system gives schools access to modern hardware without high investment costs. At the same time, we are building an international open-source community that ensures further development and sustainability.
Working closely with our partners in Estonia, Austria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we combine educational, technical, and regional strengths. This enables us to create a transferable, scalable model for inclusive robotics and AI education that will contribute to Europe's digital transformation in the long term.
Sponsor
Project Participants
