Open Roberta Rescue Online Simulation: A Web-Based, Open-Source Educational Robotics Simulation for the RoboCupJunior Competition

The Rescue Online Simulation (ROnSim) expands the Open Roberta platform by a simulation for the RoboCupJunior Rescue Line Entry challenge, allowing beginner students and educators to participate in a robotics competition without the financial and logistical entry barriers of physical hardware. Unlike existing robotics simulation platforms it does not aim to replace hardware. It instead serves as an easy bridge to hardware-based learning by fostering engagement with the RoboCupJunior community. Launching as an official discipline at the RoboCupJunior Austrian Open 2025 provided insights into its educational impact, further advancing the goal of democratizing robotics education and inspiring future innovators. In this context, the related results of the IEEE RAS International Summer School on Educational Robotics 2024 (EduRob24) will be presented. These include the development of educational material for Open Roberta and key insights on improving simulation tools for educational robotics to better support school and teaching environments.