minobot 0.0.4

A package for visualizing maze solving intended for students learning programming with Python. Developed at the VU Amsterdam.

Minobot

An educational Python package for learning programming through maze solving.

For Students

Learn programming concepts by writing code to solve mazes. Watch your robot navigate through mazes in real-time or as videos in Jupyter notebooks.

Quick Start

from minobot import *

# Create a maze
maze = [
    [1, 1, 1, 1, 1], # 1 represents a wall
    [1, 0, 0, 2, 1], # 0 is empty and 2 is the starting position
    [1, 0, 1, 0, 1],
    [1, 0, 0, 3, 1], # 3 is the goal
    [1, 1, 1, 1, 1]
]

# Write your solution
def solve():
    while not has_reached_end():
        if can_move():
            move()
        else:
            turn_left()

# Watch it work
solve_maze(maze, solve)

Installation

pip install minobot

⚠️ Warning:
If you encounter an encoder error when trying to display a video in a notebook, you may need to reinstall OpenCV using Conda. Follow these steps:

1. Create and activate a Conda environment (if you haven’t already).
2. Run the following commands:

pip install minobot
pip uninstall opencv-python
conda install -c conda-forge opencv

Robot Instructions

The MinoBot provides simple, intuitive instructions for maze navigation:

Movement Instructions

• move() - Move forward one step (returns True if successful, False if blocked)
• turn_left() - Turn 90 degrees to the left
• turn_right() - Turn 90 degrees to the right
• turn_around() - Turn 180 degrees

Sensing Instructions

• can_move() - Check if the robot can move forward without hitting a wall
• has_reached_end() - Check if the robot has reached the goal
• get_position() - Get current (x, y) position
• get_direction() - Get current direction (NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, WEST)
• get_steps() - Get number of steps taken

Painting Instructions

• paint_current(color) - Paint the tile the robot is standing on
• paint_forward(color) - Paint the tile in front of the robot
• get_current_color() - Get color of current tile
• get_forward_color() - Get color of tile in front

Colors

The MinoBot can paint tiles with the following colors:

• red - Light red
• blue - Light blue
• green - Light green
• yellow - Light yellow
• purple - Light purple
• orange - Light orange
• pink - Light pink
• cyan - Light cyan

Educational Features

• Visual Learning: See your code execute step-by-step
• Multiple Environments: Works in Jupyter notebooks and standalone Python
• Algorithm Practice: Perfect for learning loops, conditionals, and problem-solving