Launching Mirobot Apps

One of the design goals of Mirobot is that it should be the starting point for learning more about technology, not the end point. The built-in user interface is really just designed for making a simple start with getting to use Mirobot and it’s always been my intention to make other ways of using Mirobot. Today I’m launching Mirobot Apps, which is an online repository for apps to use with your Mirobot.

All you need to do is get your Mirobot on your network, then enter its address to start using them. I’ll be integrating the apps more fully with the built-in application shortly so you can just click straight through. There are currently four apps, but there are a couple of really nice things about having apps online like this; it makes it really easy for me to push out new apps as and when I think of them and it also means that as the community make apps they can be put here too. There are currently four apps;

Blockly

Blockly is a project that came out of Google which is a block-based programming language that’s very similar to Scratch. It’s got a lot more features than the basic built-in UI and lets you do things like procedures, variable, loops and lots of other things. It’s perfect when you want to take your programming skills past the basic control of Mirobot. Try it out here

Point & Click

This app lets you click on a virtual canvas to make Mirobot move and draw. You can then see what commands Mirobot was sent in order to help build your learning. Try it out here

Remote Control

This is a great app for younger users. It simply lets you control Mirobot through a remote control style interface (you can also use the arrow keys) which helps children think about how they might solve a particular problem. Try it out here

Mirobot UI

This is the basic UI that also comes on Mirobots. It’s here so you don’t have to update your Mirobot to get the latest features. Try it out here

If you want to develop your own apps, through the power of open source you can push them into this repository. See the contributor notes for more specific details, but all you need to do is fork the repository, add your app and then make a pull request back to get it included. I’ve got lots of ideas for new apps which I’ll be releasing over the coming months, but please let me know if you have any good ideas for apps you’d like to see.