ROBOLAB: The workshop

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ROBOLAB The workshop

• 3/15/2002

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Goals

• Importance of Engineering
• Hands-on Learning
• Open-ended, creative, all skill levels
• Motivate math and science learning
• Low entry, high ceiling

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Tufts UniversityCenter for Engineering
Education Outreach

• Engineering Standard
• Teacher Training
• Industrial Alliances
• Government Alliances

http//www.ceeo.tufts.edu
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What do we do with LEGO bricks at Tufts?
Teacher Education
Engineering
Education Research
Parent Education
Telerobotics
Student Education
Science
Math
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Gearing Stable Structures
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Visual Reading
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Cooling Water
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ROBOLAB General Outline

• Programmer
• Pilot
• Inventor
• Investigator
• Languages
• Mac, PC, Linux

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Philosophy

• Low entry, high ceiling Same software and
  hardware tools from K-college
• Multiple levels
• Modules
• All Graphics
• Younger students cannot read
• Learning disabled

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Programmer
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Pilots 1 2
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Challenge 1

• Using Pilot 1 - program your car to move for 1
  sec
• Measure the distance it went
• Predict distance for 2 sec
• Run and check model

Watch out for other peoples towers
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Pilot 3
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Challenge 2

• Using Pilot 3, make your car
• Go forward for 2 sec
• Return to initial spot
• Keep your car on top of your table
• Use light sensor

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Pilot 4
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Competition 1

• Calibrate your car
• Plot distance traveled versus time driven
• Repeat numerous times
• Compete to kiss your LEGO being

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Gender Roles

• Goal Oriented
• Individual
• Competitive
• Build then design
• Know it already

• Detail Oriented
• Group effort
• Cooperative
• Design then build
• Investigative

• Generalizations
• Build to strengths
• Teach both cooperation and competition

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Classroom difficulties

• Teaching through experimentation
• No right answer
• You do not know the answer to questions
• Need to ask penetrating questions

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Classroom difficulties

• 1 computer, 30 kids
• Computers crashing
• Batteries dying
• Downloading someone elses programs
• Difference in building skills (teaching sharing)

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ASK RCX

• Gets the program (Pilot 1-4) from the RCX and
  fixes the screen at the correct pilot level.
• Good for schools with 1 or 2 computers

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Inventor 1
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ROBOLAB Investigator
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Programming Area
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Upload Area
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Challenge 3

• Grab some light sensor measurements
• Upload the data
• Find rooms
• Brightest spot
• Darkest spot

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Viewing Area
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Challenge 4

• Hang your RCX from string (or arm)
• Swing across white paper
• Determine frequency of pendulum

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Program Level 2
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Challenge 5

• Draw lines on paper
• Give your robot to the table behind you
• Run their robot over your lines
• Return the robots
• Upload the data and estimate the lines

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Competition 2 Find the Letter

• Run your robot under the table in front
• Guess the letter

E
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Web Control SENSORS
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More Complex
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No Ceiling
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Compute Area
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Writing Area
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Presentation/Web
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Inventor 1
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Inventor 4
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New Software Power
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Help Demos

• See and edit sample programs

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Control Lab Interface Support

• Open CLI control window
• Everything looks the same but uses CLI instead of
  RCX
• Inventor
• Investigator

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Pilot Vision
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Vision Center
Camera View
RCX Container Values
Define Camera Sensor
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Vision Center Concept

• Reduce the image to a single number
• Send number to RCX container (using the tower)
• RCX is running a program that responds to
  container value (data logging, changing motors,
  etc)

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Example

• Dice thrower
• Teach statistics
• Camera takes a picture
• Mask picture (only look at dots)
• Threshold - separate dots from background
• Count blobs (dots) - sensor value dots
• Datalog dots overnight - is the dice fair?

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Sensor definitions
File name
Original Image
Final Sensor Value
Manipulated Image
Step details
Define Steps (get dots)
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Complete Vision Center Process
Manipulate
Tell RCX
sent to RCX (red container)
Grab Image
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Roboserver

• Supports remote
• RCX
• Control Lab
• Camera

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Pilot Music

• Play song while driving

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Piano Player
Scroll
Open existing
Transpose
Note Duration
Add and Delete notes
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Final Challenge

• Download Scott Joplins Entertainer
• Write your own piece
• Try to recognize your neighbors piece