The Pythagoras project consists in the achievement of a software simulator for geometry and mechanics with an important role in learning, in research and in engineering, a soft that will be the basis for the development of a proof assistant in plane geometry, that is a program able to understand the semantic of the mathematical information, to compare one mathematical data package with another and make decisions, reasoning and provides proofs. Besides the final goal we want to achieve a useful tool in teaching, in e-learning, to those who write geometry books and need to draw correct images in a short time, useful to those who write geometrical interactive books and in research, too.
The presume users of this mathematical soft are, first of all, the students and the mathematics teachers. Through the facilities offered by Pythagoras, only with a few mouse clicks many locus and trajectories, very difficult to imagine otherwise, can be discovered. The program can be also useful to physicians in mechanics lessons. In research it will be used to discover new geometrical relations. It will compare mathematical expressions, which contain elements of geometrical simulation (angles, lengths) and if the relations between them are preserved for a great number of situations, conclusions can be stated and ways to solution can be search. The specialists in engineering and mechanics can also use this program, in modeling and simulating complex mechanisms. The models made up with Pythagoras will be interactive and can be used in classroom, laboratories or can be published on the web.
The Pythagoras software will also contain a module for modeling and simulating the complex mechanical systems (SIMMECH). This program will be useful for student training in the field of mechanics fundamental disciplines (Mechanisms and Machine Theory, Material Strength, Machine Elements) and for some other special ones (Dynamic Modeling and Identifying, Robotics, Robotic Architecture and Kinematics). The simulation module will be also able to perform practical training of the students in the field of mechanical engineering in a virtual laboratory, that leads to remove the obvious technological discrepancy between the classical Romanian laboratories and those from the European Union countries. The virtual laboratory system will be able to perform mechanical engineering training at an European level. The SIMMECH module is similar to other programs for mechanical analyzing and simulation (e.g. SAM, which 5-th version was developed and asserts on the engineering software market). We estimate that the SIMMECH module of Pythagoras program will be at the same technical performance with the European programs, at least. But unlike the European variants, whose price is over 1000 euro per license, the price of Pythagoras program will be a low one or free. The SIMMECH module will also be useful to the planner engineers in the domain of general mechanical systems, being able to provide important technical data during the planning process (dimensions, forces and moments, tensions and deformations, vibrations).
The framework of the project lies within the domain Knowledge, learning and cognitive systems and Digital content, creativity and personal development, because it includes:
- new models and artificial intelligence structures, with applications in education;
- cognitive systems, able to perceive, to understand the semantic of the input information and to interact with the environment, in view of the achievement of the human performance in various activities, that ask for specific knowledge of a context;
- soft systems in education and research, technologies of training, e-learning;
- advanced technologies for instruction;
- resources and values of digital culture;
- new media paradigm.
At a certain development level of the cognitive and reasoning system included in the program, we want to project and develop Pythagoras modules oriented to robotics. Some parts of Pythagoras system will be adapted and prepared to be encapsulated on dedicated processors, which will be used by robots. The testing of these intelligent modules will be done on a software platform, special conceived, integrated as a module of Pythagoras system. Agreements for collaborating with researching institutes in robotics, which have the technical resources to test and implement this software, will be signed at this level. After testing and improving stages, we will propose to the industrial producers of robots our solutions and we will try to make contracts. For these reasons, the technological platform, which Pythagoras program belongs to, is Embedded systems.