Conceptual Model

1
Mindstorms Internet Control Environment

• Conceptual Model
• by
• Aaron Garrett and David Thornton

2
Hardware Requirements

• The LegoMICE system requires a modern web browser
  that is Java enabled. In addition, port 6620 must
  be available. Any firewall settings must be
  bypassed in order to use the system.

3
Lexicon

• Acrobot - A robot designed to flip and twist
  during movements. Typically, this robot has only
  touch sensors.
• Event Gallery - A set of "snapshots" of a session
  for the robot. These snapshots are taken at the
  request of the user (by adding appropriate NQC
  statements to the code). They are compiled and
  presented as either a zip file or a PDF document.
• LegoMICE - Lego Mindstorms Internet Control
  Environment. The name for the full system that
  allows users to program a mobile Lego Mindstorms
  robot.
• NQC - Not Quite C. The programming language that
  students will use to program the robot. It is
  very similar in syntax to C, but has special
  functions for controlling a Lego Mindstorms robot
  (such as turning motors on, getting sensory
  input, etc.).
• Roverbot - A robot designed to roam around an
  environment in an exploratory fashion. Typically,
  this robot has touch and light sensors.

4
Login Screen

• The user visits http//mice.jsu.edu and sees the
  LegoMICE login screen. If the user has already
  registered, he or she inputs a JSU email address
  and password. If not, he or she clicks on the
  Register link.

5
Log-in Page
6
Register

• The user enters his or her name and JSU email
  address. Once the "Register" button is clicked,
  the email address is checked against a database
  of all JSU students. If it is valid, an email is
  sent to that address with the appropriate
  password.

7
Registration Page
8
Choose Mouse

• After a successful login, the user is presented
  with a set of robots which he or she may control.
  Each robot also displays the approximate waiting
  time to take control.

9
Choose Mouse Page
10
LegoMICE Control Applet

• After choosing a robot, the user is presented
  with a Java applet with 3 tabs - Analyze,
  Implement, and Test. In addition, this applet
  displays a visual representation of the waiting
  line. The user is able to view all other users
  waiting for the robot. Also, the user may click
  on another user's icon in order to start chatting
  with them.

11
The Analyze Tab

• The Analyze tab allows the user to view the
  details of the current robot (such as sensors and
  motors) and environment (such as the current goal
  and obstacles). The user may click on the
  conceptual drawings of the robot and the
  environment to get additional details.

12
Analyze Tab
13
The Implement Tab

• The Implement tab allows the user to write and
  compile NQC programs that can later be downloaded
  to the robot. If compiler errors are generated,
  they are displayed below the code window. In
  addition, sample code is displayed on the left
  side in a drop-down list box which may be copied
  and pasted into their own code. Helpful links are
  displayed on the right side (dealing with the NQC
  programming language). When the user is in
  control of the robot and their code compiles
  correctly, they are given the option of
  downloading it to the robot. This automatically
  takes them to the Test tab.

14
Implement Tab
15
The Test Tab

• The Test tab allows the user to run and stop a
  current program on the robot. If the user has
  included code to generate an event gallery, the
  gallery may be downloaded from this screen after
  a run. The "Run" and "Stop" buttons, as well as
  the event galleries, are only available to the
  user who is currently in control of the robot.
  All other users may watch the robot's progress
  through a constantly updating webcam image.
  However, they have no control over the run.

16
Test Tab