This guide is intended to help customers update to the latest version of our Robots4Autism, which includes support for our newest features.
Existing RoboKind Legacy Customers:
If you have previously been implemented on our 2.0 platform (at portal.robokind.us), then please use the following document to migrate before returning to this document. RK Central 3.0 Platform - Pre migration check list
To ensure a continued ability to teach lessons, Robokind legacy customers presently on the portal.robokind.us site must not update their robots and companion software outside of the process defined in the RK Central 3.0 Platform - Pre migration check list.
Formal support for our legacy platform will end at the end of the 2020/2021 school year as we seek to have all organizations and students be able to take advantage of our latest features.
RoboKind Central 3.0 Customers:
Customers who have previously migrated to our 3.2 platform are eligible and encouraged to upgrade to our 3.2 application release, which is a relatively simple process.
3.2 Release Information:
The 3.2 release of our website, companion apps, and robot clients is intended to untether teachers and facilitators from the need for teachers and facilitators be present together in order to conduct lessons. This need was caused in part by the fact that facilitators had to log into student tablets for the first time, and that student and facilitator tablets needed to be on the same network with a robot.
Additionally this release introduces our Avatar based milo robot, to be used in situations where a student is at home and cannot be physically present with the Milo robot. This update allows for a facilitator to select an Avatar of Milo to be used in lieu of a robot in these situations. Note that use of this feature remotely would usually also require a video chat session of some type to be established between student & facilitator so that the facilitator can monitor the students progress.
New pairing processes for robots & tablets: In version 3.0, it was necessary to use the tablets to scan QR codes of the robot and then of the tablets in order to establish each lesson. This process was not feasible for remote settings, so we have replaced it with new and more permanent pairing processes:
Robots registered to an organization will automatically appear in the list of available robots.
The RoboKind Companion Application 3.0 when run in student mode will no longer require a facilitator login to update modules and QR code scanning to start each lesson. Instead there is now a one time process pairing process as described in the First Time Setup section.
Updating to RoboKind 3.2:
An organizational admin should check the list of Robots that appears under their account under central.robokind.com and the Organization List screen and compare to the organization's active robots. How-to Find a robot's serial number
Teacher accounts do not have access to view the list of robots in RK Central.
If the list of robots is incorrect or if the Robots & Avatars section is missing, please submit a support ticket at https://www.robokind.com/support using the contact us link at the bottom of the page. Please include the exact serial number(s) of robots to be added or removed.
2. We recommend using the … button (3 dots) to the right of each robot to assign a friendly Alias to each robot. As an example, if a robot is dedicated to a specific classroom, the name of that classroom might be a good alias. An itinerant robot that travels between schools might be assigned an alias according to the teacher/facilitator who is using that robot.
Tip: We also encourage labeling the robot in some fashion with it’s assigned alias.
3. On each robot, choose Utilities - Update Software and ensure that it completes successfully. See How-to Update the Robot for details and troubleshooting.
4. Only after all robots are updated successfully, delete the RoboKind Companion App 3 from each iPad, and then reinstall the application with the same name from the AppStore. RoboKind Companion App 3 Installation and Update Guide (iPads)
First Time Setup
Robot:
Make sure the robot has been updated and restarted.
Both Tablets:
Open the newly installed RoboKind 3.0 application.
Facilitator Tablet Steps:
Select Facilitator mode.
Login to the tablet with the same facilitator credentials used to log in at https://central.robokind.com. If necessary, you can visit https://central.robokind.com and reset your password.
Use the Add New Tablet button
Warning: Pairing codes expire within 10 minutes, so pause at this point if the student tablet is not already updated and ready.
Assign a Nickname or alias for the student tablet, and click Generate Code.
We recommend a Nickname or alias that describes the scope of the students that might be sharing that tablet, for example “Classroom A”.
We recommend labeling a tablet according to the nickname that has been assigned to it.
The 6 digit code that is provided after tapping Generate Code will be needed during the Student tablet setup.
After the pairing code has been written down, click the Back button.
Student Tablet:
Note that a student tablet can be paired just once and then shared among multiple students.
On the student tablet, open the newly updated or installed RK Central 3.0 application.
Select Student mode. No login is required.
If prompted for camera access, choose Allow. (This is used in certain lessons of the emotional modules)
Enter the 6 digit numeric code generated during the Facilitator setup and click Connect.
Starting a Lesson:
From the facilitator tablet, select the alias of the student tablet in the column on the left.
If the student tablet is on the wait screen but is still not appearing after clicking the refresh button, please close the RoboKind Companion 3 App on both facilitator and student tablets, and try again by opening and signing into the facilitator tablet before starting the student tablet.
In the Select a Robot column on the right, you may select a robot or Use Virtual Avatar. If you select the virtual avatar option, both you and the student will see a friendly virtual version of Milo teaching each lesson.
If you are running a lesson with a physical robot and the robot is not appearing in the list, troubleshooting steps would include:
Make sure that Milo is powered on
Run a network test and ensure the robot is connected.
If this is the first time using the robot after updating to the latest version, then the robot may need to be updated from Utilities - Update Software.
Restart the robot and wait 5 minutes.
If the above do not resolve the issue, please submit a support ticket using https://www.robokind.com/support and the contact us link at the bottom of the page. Be sure to include the serial number of the robot. How-to Find a robot's serial number
On the Select Classroom page, select the classroom and student who will be taking the lesson.
If you have selected Virtual Avatar, but the facilitator and student will see a virtual representation of Milo.
If you have selected a physical robot, then virtual milo will not be shown from either tablet.
On the facilitators tablet, use the side bar menu to access tools such as stopping a lesson or switching to a calm down tool
Documentation
RoboKind Central for Administrators
RoboKind Central for Teachers & Aide Account Roles
RoboKind Companion App 3 Installation and Update Guide (iPads)
Coming soon:
Customers who update to our latest software versions will also soon be able to benefit from additional features including:
Video Chat built into the RoboKind Companion App
Additional reporting in the RK Central web portal
Additional integration with the RK Central web portal