Robot Emil is nice free educational application for children, which allows programming virtual walking robot activities in the room.
It's ideal for first experience with computer programming, and evolutes algorithmic thinking by the means of game.
The robot can move inside 3D room using simple commands
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step - (forward or backward) turn - (left, right, about-face or specifying the cardinal points north, south, east, west) |
on the front field, he can:
put the brick with selectable shape and color put the doors paint the brick, tile on the floor or tile on the wall
or vice versa, pick-out the brick , take away the door, discolor the brick or tile, etc.
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Using a bricks, robot can build various constructions and buildings, using paints, he can make color mosaic and patterns,
according to designed scene.
Robot Emil can work in large rooms up to 32 x 32 x 48 tiles, he can put bricks of six shapes and any color - include transparent.
He can make the doors and tunnels through built walls, the windows (using transparent bricks), the roof (using roof-shaped bricks)
the, grass, paths, lakes (painting the floor-tiles') so that provides wide area for children's creativity.
The Robot may be controlled interactive, using buttons, which directly executes simple commands in scene
or another way - running the program, consisting of written commands.
The goal is, that interactive robot's actions activated by buttons, are just written as command lines
in the program window. The sequence of written commands may be run again - as a program.
This way children can write the first programs, easy understanding dependence between the actions on the scene
and written command's sequence:
Actual program, written in program window, may be run pressing 
or stopped pressing 
button.
Program can be executed various speed, as well as traced step-by step, and just executed command in program
window is marked by inversed background.
Transparent tracing of program, in combination with watching corresponding scene action, is mighty tool for understanding basic commands,
explanation of program structures like branching, cycles and subroutines. It is very helpful for debugging difficult programs, too.
In program mode Robot Emil understands many other commands - he can solve simple conditions, changing colors
and color grades, count the objects, transfer parts of buildings using the stack, paste the pictures to the
walls, positioning the camera view and more actions.
Programmer can define new commands, too - written as subroutines, called by given name
Programs and rooms with created buildings may be saved to disc files,
then load and editing again.
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Programs are stored to files with extension *.prg (simple text files, editable in any text editor)
Rooms are stored to files with extension *.room (binary files)
Programming language of Robot Emil was proposed the way understandable to children they never write some computer program
It consists of unique format commands and block brackets - nothing more.
On the other hand, the Emil's language uses structural syntax closely similar to modern programming languages (Pascal, C, Java)
That's why the children learn directly most usual syntax of higher programming languages, so that eventual later programming
in Pascal, C or Java language seems to be native for them.
The Scene, where Emil moves, is virtual 3D model.
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We can look into three-dimensional room through camera view from any direction above floor,
and watch the robot anywhere he works - even if he build something behind wall or inside the tunnel..
When camera looks through the room walls (through border of rooms) , it become transparent automatically.
It is also possible to hide all walls temporary, and show only the floor.
Focusing the camera allows to watch details up to single brick level.
Actual view can be sampled as picture using photo-button 
and saved to picture file.
Choose of room and camera view may be controlled interactive , using buttons, but also by commands while program runs. This means, that Emily can make control activities himself - e.g. to load some of saved rooms or new empty room with different dimensions, as well as turning, moving or focusing camera during program run. Some of this features are used in example programs.
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The application includes interactive help, explaining language syntax summary and 20 commented program examples
The simple programs for Robot Emil can write the youngest children of basic schools.
More advanced examples demonstrates, how can Emil build complex constructions using pre-programmed subroutines. Comment of each sample program explain one of interesting programming technique (e.g. find a way in labyrinth, moving a chess-figures using stack, ...) , or some graphic tricks and illusions (the mirror, cinema-animation, moving lifts, ...) possible in simple Robot's world. Of course, virtual Robot's environment provides infinity inspiration for own children ideas. You can download complete application in English version from the home page, or click here: Robot_Emil_Install_EN for downloading it. Usage for schools, students and children over the world is free. Application may run on any computer with Microsoft Widows XP and later operating systems, supporting the .NET 2.0 or later If you have not the DOT-NET runtime installed yet (you can recognize it when application shows only error window) download and use the dotnetfx.exe installer (it's downloadable from this web-page too, or directly from Microsoft) then Robot Emil application will work on your computer. Many entertainments with Robot Emil wish you Author