Cindy Calderón-Arce

This study presents the cross-cultural adaptation and preliminary validation of a STEM attitudes scale for Spanish-speaking primary-school students. A systematic review following PRISMA 2020 identified ten international instruments; a 27-item scale was selected for its comprehensive coverage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The adaptation process followed international guidelines, including parallel translation, expert review, qualitative evaluation, and a pilot study with preliminary reliability analysis. Based on the results, two items were removed and the response survey was modified to an emoji-anchored Likert scale to reduce the cognitive load associated with abstract category interpretation and improve accessibility for young children. Psychometric analysis with 194 students in a Latin American context demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.952) and strong subscale reliability (α = 0.883–0.935). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a five-factor structure accounting for 66% of the variance: integrative STEM attitude, mathematics, science, technological application, and self-efficacy. The findings provide preliminary psychometric evidence supporting the adapted instrument for Spanish-speaking populations, addressing a gap in STEM education research and offering methodological insights for adapting response formats in childhood assessments. The availability of validated instruments to assess STEM attitudes at early ages is key for understanding the factors that influence children’s interest and engagement in STEM, particularly among girls, with important implications for educational practice, research, and international policy.

Este artículo realiza un análisis exhaustivo de los robots utilizados en actividades educativas enfocadas en áreas STEM, destacando tanto opciones básicas como avanzadas. La investigación aborda diversas plataformas, capacidades y tamaños de robots educativos a través de un análisis del estado del arte actual. Se destaca el papel de la robótica para cubrir necesidades educativas en STEM, evidenciando la capacidad de adaptación de los robots para entornos de aprendizaje específicos. Se mencionan ejemplos de cómo han sido y pueden ser personalizados para entornos de aprendizaje específicos, enfatizando su capacidad para promover la interacción entre estudiantes y el aprendizaje colaborativo. Además, se detallan las herramientas y recursos educativos disponibles para incorporarlos en el aula. Finalmente, este artículo presenta una comparativa entre los robots estudiados, resaltando sus puntos fuertes y áreas de mejora.

This article presents a novel bioinspired technology for the cooperation and coordination of heterogeneous robot swarms in uncontrolled environments, utilizing an artificial pheromone composed of magnetized ferrofluids. Communication between different types of robots is achieved indirectly through stigmergy, where messages are inherently associated with specific locations. This approach is advantageous for swarm experimentation outside controlled laboratory spaces, where localization is typically managed through centralized camera systems (e.g. infrared, RGB). Applying pheromone principles has also proven beneficial for various swarm behaviors. We introduce a detection methodology for the artificial ferrofluid pheromone using low-cost magnetic sensors, along with signal processing and parameter characterization. Experiments involved a heterogeneous swarm consisting of two types of robots: one equipped with camera and image processing capabilities and the other with basic sensor technologies. Validation in multiple uncontrolled environments (with varying floor surfaces, wind, and light conditions) demonstrated successful cooperation among robots with differing technological complexities using the proposed technology.

Swarm robotics research uses a range of tools for evaluating the behaviors and metrics of robot collectives. One crucial tool involves the capability to track each robot’s position and orientation at various intervals, enabling the reconstruction of individual robot poses and trajectories. Comprehensive analysis of swarm behavior hinges on the study of the collective trajectories of each robot within the group. This paper demonstrates the implementation of a computer vision system, utilizing a webcam and Python scripts, to effectively track a mobile robot group within a swarm. This shows the feasibility of developing such research tools using commonplace computing equipment. The design and development of the vision system, including a detailed calibration procedure, robot identification methods, and practical examples, are also shown. Furthermore, it offers an exhaustive explanation of the robot tracking process. Experimental trials with three robots validate the system’s ability to extract images from video feeds and accurately identify each robot. Subsequently, after image processing, the system generates a dataset encompassing image numbers, robot IDs, x and y positions, and orientations.

This paper presents the design, implementation, and validation of a deposition system for a ferromagnetic pheromone. The project originates from the necessity of a bio-inspired communication method, like pheromones, on a swarm of mobile robots. This was desired to achieve a collective behavior due to the interaction of several robots. The designed system was able to deposit pheromone drops of 6mm in diameter, with a 1.5% error and a magnetization time of 30 minutes, by using a Robotino robot. En este artículo se muestra el diseño, la implementación y validación de un sistema de deposición de una feromona ferromagnética. El trabajo surge de la necesidad de implementar un método de comunicación bio inspirado, como lo son las feromonas, en un enjambre de robots móviles. Esto para lograr un comportamiento colectivo coordinado por medio de la interacción entre diversos robots. El sistema diseñado logra la deposición de gotas de feromona de 6mm de diámetro con un error del 1.5% y con un tiempo de magnetización de hasta 30 minutos, a través de un robot denominado Robotino.

This article presents the details of a final graduation project aimed at developing an application to modify the behavior of a mobile robot named Atta-Bot, with the purpose of using it for educational purposes. The process of identifying the needs of end users regarding robot configuration is shown, as well as the creation of an intuitive application that does not require advanced programming knowledge for its use. The general context of the problem that led to the project, the theoretical foundations, the methodology used, the results obtained, and the final conclusions or considerations are detailed.

This paper presents an updated and broad review of swarm robotics research papers regarding software, hardware, simulators and applications. The evolution from its concept to its real-life implementation is presented. Swarm robotics analysis is focused on four aspects: conceptualization, simulators, real-life robotics for swarm use, and applications. For simulators and robots, a detailed comparison between existing resources is made. A summary of the most used swarm robotics applications and behaviors is included.

In this paper, we present a scheme to solve the problem to explore, cover and define paths in dangerous environments. The proposal is organized in three phases: exploration, mapping and path planning. Swarm robotics is used in the first phase along with a stigmergy approach for the communication between the agents. The explored cell will be stored in order to create a grid map. In the path planning phase, a multiobjective problem is used to minimize distance and danger, through a graph obtained by an adapted RRG, and a genetic algorithm called modified NSGA-II.