arrow_back All case studies
Ed-Tech

Gyani — Robotics Learning Platform

Bytecode-interpreting embedded OS + flowchart IDE

An entire ed-tech product built solo — custom PCB, bytecode-interpreting embedded OS, flowchart-to-bytecode compiler, desktop and Android apps, and an OTA bootloader. Completed and taken beyond proof-of-concept.

From RAM
Programs run without reflashing
Two IDEs
Desktop + Android, shared core
Dual-bank
OTA with anti-cloning
Client
In-house product (Bhawna Infinity Tech)
Delivery
In-house / founder project
Role
Sole hardware, firmware and software engineer
Timeline
mid-2016 – early 2018

Stack

nRF51822 FreeRTOS Embedded C KiCad JavaFX Kotlin / Java (Android) BLE + USB-UART

help The problem

Teaching kids embedded programming normally means toolchains, compilers and firmware flashing — a wall of friction before anything blinks. The goal: let children program real hardware by drawing a flowchart with conditional paths, and have it run on the board instantly, with no toolchain, no reflashing and no waiting.

build What we built

  • A Java-like bytecode interpreter in Embedded C on FreeRTOS — a small embedded OS that receives bytecode programs and executes them on the fly from RAM. Reprogramming takes seconds, with zero flash-wear cycles per student iteration.
  • A custom bytecode instruction set designed to fit embedded constraints while covering peripheral initialisation and control — the contract between the flowcharts and the silicon.
  • A flowchart IDE built twice — JavaFX desktop and Kotlin/Java Android — on a shared Java core, so the same compiler translates flowcharts, branches included, into bytecode.
  • A custom transfer protocol over BLE and USB-UART carrying programs from the IDE to the board.
  • A dual-bank bootloader supporting OTA over both BLE and USB-UART, with cloning protection for the platform firmware, plus board and module PCBs designed in KiCad, fabricated, assembled and tested.

check_circle The result

  • done The platform was completed and moved beyond proof-of-concept — hardware, firmware and both apps working end to end.
  • done Whole-product ownership: from schematic to silicon to compiler to app, one engineer.

Links