Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
How to Start a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Program for Elementary and
Middle School Students Jointly Presented by The University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas Tech University
Dr. Can (John) Saygin College of Engineering
Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC)
http://itec.utsa.edu
Saturday, June 9, 2012 -- 3:00-4:15 pm
Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center (Room: 214A), San Antonio
Courtney Pinnell Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/coe/stem/gear/
Workshop Objectives
• To demonstrate the basic operation of Lego® MindStorms NXTTM.
• To “briefly” guide you through a hands-on application.
• To introduce GEAR (Getting Excited About Robotics) Competition (http://www.gearrobotics.org).
2 “How to Start a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Program for Elementary and Middle School Students” K-12 ASEE Workshop by UTSA and Texas Tech – June 9, 2012
Expectations are limited by constraints… We have 75 minutes …
AGENDA • Introductions: Tell us about your goals (10 min) • Know what is on your thumb-drive (5 min)
• Intro to NXT and Example 1 (10 min)
• Example 2 (5 min)
• What is GEAR? (UTSA Video and Texas Tech prsnt) (10 min)
• GEAR 2012 (including programming) (25 min)
• Q & A Session (10 min)
3 “How to Start a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Program for Elementary and Middle School Students” K-12 ASEE Workshop by UTSA and Texas Tech – June 9, 2012
Dr. Tanja Karp Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering TTU Fulbright Program Adviser TTU Society of Women Engineers Faculty Advisor Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 79409-3102 [email protected]
Dr. Can (John) Saygin Professor of Mechanical Engineering Director, interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) The University of Texas - San Antonio (UTSA) Mechanical Engineering Department One UTSA Circle San Antonio, Texas 78249-0670 [email protected]
Feel Free to Contact Us…
3 STEP 3 For an existing program, design a robot that does what the program is intended for…
4 STEP 4 Given a “robotic mission”, design a robot, write a program, and improve both if needed…
1 STEP 1 - For an existing robot & program, demonstrate what it does and how it does…
2 STEP 2 For an existing robot and its “mission”, write a program or rewrite program of Step 1...
PROGRAMMING/SOFTWARE
HARDWARE
PROGRAM NOT GIVEN
PROGRAM GIVEN
NOT GIVEN
GIVEN
Effective Learning
“How to Start a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Program for Elementary and Middle School Students” K-12 ASEE Workshop by UTSA and Texas Tech – June 9, 2012
4
Introduction to NXT: Overview and Your First Robot
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge
The Big Picture
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge
NXT Brain
Sensors
+ Lego Pieces
6
• LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT is a robotics toolset that provides endless opportunities for budding inventors, robotics fanatics and LEGO builders ages 10 and older to build and program robots that do what they want.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 7
Introduction
The heart of the system is the NXT brick, an autonomous LEGO microprocessor that can be programmed using a PC.
Designers create a program with easy-to-use, yet feature-rich software.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 8
Introduction
Introduction
• Downloading programs to an application is easy.
• Users with Bluetooth®-enabled computer hardware can transfer their programs to the NXT wirelessly, or anyone can use the included USB cable to connect their computer to the NXT for program transfer.
• The robot then takes on a life of its own, fully autonomous from the computer.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 9
The Brain
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 10
• This image of the NXT Brain depicts two series of “holes” These are designed to allow the user to create a “cradle” for the brain.
• The standard pegs that come in your NXT kit will fit snugly into these holes.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 11
The Brain
Motors are a combination of three items:
1. An electric motor.
2. A position sensing device.
3. A feedback circuit to control the motor.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 12
Motor
• Motor receives its information from the brain of the robot.
• Communication between the motor and the brain is transmitted through an NXT cable.
Let’s build a basic car!
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 13
“Follow the Line” – single sensor
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 14
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge
Line Following With One Light Sensor
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 16
Attach a light sensor
To attach a light sensor to the EduBot, refer to pages 32-33 of the NXT Building Guide (that comes with the
Education Kit).
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 17
Edge following or line following?
The easiest way to follow a line is
to follow the edge, moving on and off the black.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 18
When on white it needs to go to black.
When on black it needs to go to white.
?
?
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 19
. . . And back to black again.
While doing this, it edges up the line.
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 20
Forward B
Stops
Basic Line Follow
Switch
Left
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 21
Basic Line Follow
The trigger point value determines when the sensor is seeing black or white. It is the average between the black % and white %.
The Switch block
and its configuration panel
(Black% + White%) ÷ 2
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 22
Basic Line Follow A partially completed line-follow program should look like this . . .
Set Move block duration to
“Unlimited.”
IMPORTANT
Don’t download yet…
What still needs to be added
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge 23
Finished Line (Edge) Follow Program
Inspire | Teach | Excite | Challenge
UTSA Engineering & iTEC
proudly thank all of our
GEAR sponsors !!!
THANK YOU !!!
GEAR 2012 @ UTSA
• 112 teams • 550 students • 112 volunteers (1/team) – welcome, parking, team mgt
and staging,… • 800-900 “Fans” on bleachers • 6 Judges (outside playing field support and
assessment) • 32 Referees (during games) • Gymnasium, Security/Police, Audio/Video, Parking,
Registration, Housekeeping, Food for Volunteers, Setup & take down, …
GEAR @ Texas Tech University
Courtney Pinnell and Dr. Tanja Karp, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Texas Tech University
ASEE K-12 Workshop, June 2012
History: GEAR @ TTU
6 - 8 week LEGO robotics competition for
elementary school and middle school
students
Goal: get students excited about STEM
disciplines, learn problem solving skills,
design, trouble-shooting, etc.
Most schools work on challenge after
school or during special class periods
No participation fee for schools
GEAR competitions at TTU since 2006
50 participating schools, over 180 teams,
500 participants in 2012
www.gearrobotics.org
GEAR Hubs: TTU, UTSA, Richardson
TTU GEAR Events
New Teacher Workshop (January)
Kickoff Event: (February,
Engineers Week)
GEAR Trial Run (March)
GEAR Game Day (April,
National Robotics Week)
GEAR 2012 Activities
Development of GEAR 2012 Challenge
Collaboration with GEAR Game
Design Team and iTEC UTSA
Maintenance of energy
infrastructure of national
energy provider “Energy
Incorporated”
Robots operate equipment
that helps provide fossil and
alternative energy for
customers
Distribution of game mats to
all teams in Texas
GEAR 2012 Kickoff Event at TTU
GEAR 2012 Challenge “Power Up”, Trial Run and Game Day
Relationship to Real World Engineering Tasks
• Felipe Davila, Halliburton
• Dr. Michael Giesselmann, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech
Oil Spill Clean-up Hands-on Activity
Distribution of Game Pieces and LEGO NXT kits
ENGR 1315 Students at GEAR Trial Run
Key Success Factors
Flexibility of implementation at school and hub level
Collaboration between teachers and engineering students
No participation fee for schools
• We provide game pieces and game mats for schools
• Schools can check out up to 6 LEGO NXT MINDSTORMS kits
Educational opportunities for engineering students
• Participation for partial course credit
• Service learning projects
Promoting engineering (STEM) through role models
Shared resources between different robotics programs at TTU
Integration of research, teaching, & outreach
GEAR Sponsors
Pipeline of K-12 Robotics Competitions @ TTU
GEAR
1st-8th grade
BEST
7th – 12th grade
FRC
9th-12th grade
