Master-Slave Smart Blocks for Coordinated Group Learning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current smart block technologies lack a systematic approach for group control and coordination, which limits their ability to provide complex and adaptive educational or therapeutic experiences for children, particularly those with developmental disorders.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of group-controlled smart blocks with a master block and slave blocks, where the master block receives a program from an external control device to transmit commands for specific functions to the slave blocks, enabling coordinated operations and adaptive learning experiences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If smart blocks operate independently without group control, then each block can perform its basic functions, but the system lacks coordination and cannot provide complex educational or therapeutic experiences
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the smart block group into a master block and slave blocks, with each block maintaining independent basic functionality while the master block adds coordination capabilities. This segmentation allows the system to gain complex educational/therapeutic capabilities without requiring all blocks to be equally complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The master block acts as an intermediary between the external control device and the slave blocks, receiving programs from the external device and distributing commands to slave blocks. This intermediary structure enables coordinated group operations without requiring direct complex communication between all blocks and the external device.
2Ease of operation
If multiple smart blocks are controlled individually, then each block can be programmed separately, but coordinated operations and adaptive learning experiences cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the control of multiple slave blocks under a single master block, allowing coordinated operations to be programmed through one central unit. This combining approach maintains programming simplicity while enabling complex coordinated behaviors that individual blocks cannot achieve alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The master block serves multiple functions: it operates as a regular smart block itself, acts as a coordinator for slave blocks, and serves as an interface to the external control device. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve coordinated operations without adding separate dedicated control hardware.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a master-slave architecture is implemented among smart blocks, then coordinated functions and adaptive learning scenarios can be created, but the system requires assignment and management of block roles
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables blocks to self-assign roles through automatic selection mechanisms, where blocks can autonomously determine which will serve as master and which as slaves based on predefined criteria or negotiation protocols. This self-service approach reduces the need for manual role assignment and simplifies system setup.
Data Source
AI summary
Group-controlled smart blocks configured to form a group of n smart blocks each having a unique ID and performing a given function include a master block assigned by an external control device among the n smart blocks and n-1 slave blocks other than the master block. The master block is configured to receive a program from the external control device and to transmit to each of the n-1 slave blocks a first command for performing a corresponding function, and each of the n-1 slave blocks is configured to receive the first command from the master block and to perform the corresponding function.