Roamer the Educational Robot for Schools

Roamer is an educational robot aimed at helping teach Pre-School to Year 12 (PK-12). It achieves this flexibility because it is a modular system that you can put together in different ways to suit your specific needs. With 30 years of experience of designing robots for schools the Roamer has been designed:

Specifically for schools, classrooms and education
To be robust and survive the normal wear and tear of regular use
To integrate and work with the type of resources normally found in schools
As a “future-proof” platform that can adapt and work with new technologies

Introduce Programming Step-by-Step

Standard Roamers gradually introduce programming ideas and features. This starts with a simple robot and steadily builds student’s expertise and confidence, enabling them to tackle more challenging problems as their ability grows. Changing the Keypad Module transforms the Roamer.

Early Years Roamer: Ages 3 to 5

Infant K-1 Roamer: Ages 5 to 7

Primary Roamer: Ages 7 to 9

Junior Roamer: Ages 9 upwards

Low Roamer Costs High Educational Value

The modular nature of Roamer means you can purchase just what you need to maximise the educational effectiveness of the system to meet you precise needs.

Basic Roamer

Keypad Modules

Behaviour Modules

General Accessories

Mats

Design Accessories

Activity Packs

Software Packs

Roamer Keypad Modules for Specific Lessons

Roamers can have special behaviours for specific activities. Many of these are obtainable as Free resources with the Free activities in the Activity Library. Others are available with the Curriculum Packs.

Print and cut out the Keypad Graphic or check out the inexpensive Keypad Graphic Packs available from the shop.

The future: Invent and share your activities and keypad designs. To be kept in touch with this development set up your RSS feed.

Continuing Research and Development

Roamer is a continuing research and development project. A number of other Roamers will become available in the future. Use the RSS Feed to keep in touch with latest types of Roamer as we make them available.

SEN Roamer
This is a series of Roamers with special capabilities to support Special Educational Needs.

Turtle Roamer When you drive Roamer by programming at a computer it becomes a Turtle. Watch for interfaces to Logo, Scratch and other packates.

Robotic Roamer Involves the expansion of the Roamer input and output capability and the provision of the ability to program using embedded code

Introduce Programming Step-by-Step

Early Years Roamer: Ages 3 to 5

Infant K-1 Roamer: Ages 5 to 7

Primary Roamer: Ages 7 to 9

Junior Roamer: Ages 9 upwards

Speaking, Playing Music, Sound Effects

Standard Features

Programming Help: when learners make a mistake programming their robot, it will tell them how to correctly program it.
Prompts: Roamer will tell you when it’s switched on; when you’ve left it on and not using it; when you need to recharge the batteries and other useful tips.
Roamer plays sound effects to help you know you’ve pressed the right keys.

Activities

Some tasks include the use of speech and sound effects like a barking dog.

Different Voices

Roamer uses a standard American female voice. You can change the voice to male or male and female children. You can use recorded speech.

Different Languages

We can work with you to produce Roamer’s speaking different languages.

Roamer Keypad Modules for Specific Lessons

Print and cut out the Keypad Graphic or check out the inexpensive Keypad Graphic Packs available from the shop.

The future: Invent and share your activities and keypad designs. To be kept in touch with this development set up your RSS feed.

Continuing Research and Development

SEN Roamer
This is a series of Roamers with special capabilities to support Special Educational Needs.

Turtle Roamer When you drive Roamer by programming at a computer it becomes a Turtle. Watch for interfaces to Logo, Scratch and other packates.

Robotic Roamer Involves the expansion of the Roamer input and output capability and the provision of the ability to program using embedded code

Novel Features – New Activities

Traditionally floor robots like Turtle and Classic Roamer moved, turned and performed at one speed. The addition of Speed and Drive modes provide the oppotunity for new types of educational challenge

Moving Speed

Default Speed

The standard speed of Roamer is 25 cm/sec.

Top Speed

Roamer’s top speed is half a metre per second.

Change the Default

You can change this default with RoamerWorld software.

Programmable Speed

The Infant K-1 has 3 speeds, slow, default (medium) and fast. The Primary and Junior Roamers have 10 speed settings: 5. 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 cm/sec.

Special Options

You can use Roamer’s User Keys to provide Roamer with a special speed functions.

Turning Speed

Default Speed

The standard speed of Roamer is 90 degrees/sec.

Top Speed

Roamer’s top speed is half a turn (180^o) per second

Change the Default

You can change this default with RoamerWorld software.

Programmable Speed

The Infant K-1 has 3 speeds, slow, default (medium) and fast. The Primary and Junior Roamers have 10 speed settings: 18. 36, 54, 72, 90, 108, 136, 144, 162 and 180 degrees/sec. (steps of 10% of top speed).

Special Options

You can use Roamer’s User Keys to provide Roamer with a special speed functions.

Drive Mode

The Drive Mode changes the performance of Roamer’s Motors. There are four modes:

Standard (Default) Mode

This provides you with the best alround performance, particularly economising on the battery power.

Speed Mode

This maximises the speed of Roamer by providing it with the fastest possible acceleration.

Power Mode

This maximises Roamer’s pulling, pushing and load carrying capability.

Accuracy Mode

Even in Standard Mode Roamer is the most precise Turtle type robot on the market. The Accuracy mode gives you the extra precision required for some activities.

Control for all ages

Starting Young

You can start using Roamers powerful control features using auto animates – which brings Roamer to life and lets very young students observe the possibilities and stimulating their curiosity..

Scaffolded Development

The next step is for youngsters to operate a switch – car lights on, car lights off, pen up, pen down. In small steps students can explore how to program lights, motors, buzzers and incorporate a whole variety of sensors they can engage in sophisticated STEM learning trajectories.

The Future

Watch out for Roamer’s Control Pod which will provide Roamer with more inputs and outputs. Also watch out for interfaces to Raspberry Pie, Arduino, Gadgeteer etc.

Endless Possibilities

Roamer Computer Interface

Save your Roamer programs and download them for the next lesson
Download behaviours
Personalise your Roamer with new voices, behaviours, etc.

Roamer has 1MByte of internal memory, more than enough for most programs.

The Future

Wireless ROCOM will allow Roamers to communicate with other Roamers, the computer, your tablet, mobile and the whole internet.

Innovation and Adapatability

Program Variables from the Keypad

To meet the needs of the new Computing Curriculum in England, we have added a progammable variable feature. The good news – this is a Free upgrade.

Innovation and Change

Changes in educational policy, curriculum and advances in technology are normal occurances. Roamer has been designed to adapt to change. So you are protected against obsolescence and in partnership with Valiant keep your educational robots up to date.