Proprietary vs. Open-Source Systems in Robotics Education: A Comparative Study on Open Architecture and Hardware Transparency

The integration of robotics into secondary education is often hindered by the high cost of proprietary systems and the pedagogical limitations of "Black Box" abstraction. This study presents a comparative analysis between proprietary robotic ecosystems (e.g., LEGO Education) and open-architecture "White Box" alternatives to evaluate their respective financial efficiency and educational efficacy. Utilizing a replicated quasi-experimental design, high school students were tasked with constructing a functionally analogous 3-DOF robotic arm using either a snap-fit commercial kit or a bare-metal open-source kit. The study measures technical competence through the lens of "Hardware Transparency"—the extent to which users interact with fundamental engineering components—and assesses economic viability via Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA).The results indicate that the open-architecture approach demonstrates superior educational outcomes, with students exhibiting a significantly deeper understanding of critical mechanical and electronic principles compared to their peers in the proprietary group. Furthermore, the financial analysis confirms that open-source systems provide a substantial reduction in acquisition and maintenance costs, facilitating easier and more sustainable integration into school curricula. These findings suggest that a paradigm shift toward open-architecture systems is not only an economic necessity but a pedagogical upgrade, offering a more effective pathway for cultivating the next generation of engineers.Keywords: Educational Robotics, Open Architecture, Hardware Transparency, STEM Education, Black Box/White Box Systems, STEM