Robotic platform to support the development of metric and spatial thinking: MES-BOT

Metric and spatial thinking are inherent abilities for understanding magnitudes, measurements, and mental habits that lead to problem solving. These abilities must be strengthened at an early age. Poor development of these skills could have negative effects on other cognitive processes associated with quantitative reasoning, logic, and communication. In Colombia, specifically in the Cundinamarca and Boyacá regions, it has been shown that around 60 % of preschool-aged children have difficulties understanding these concepts. Therefore, the implementation of strategies involving educational software could contribute to minimizing this issue. This paper presents the design and implementation of custom prototypes of a differential robotic platform aimed at reinforcing the development of metric and spatial thinking in preschool children. The tool integrates voice processing and Quick Response (QR) code reading so that users can guide the robot using verbal commands articulated through a dynamic HMI interface. Python 3.13 was used under the object-oriented programming paradigm and a Model View Controller architecture to ensure modularity and scalability. The evaluation consisted of …………………………………….. These findings demonstrate the ……………….