01 Robotics

Purpose of Lesson Sequence:

- To design and program a simple robot to solve a simulated problems real world problem.

Lesson Timing:
- 10 x 1 hour lessons

Resources Required:
- Robotics equipment e.g. EV3, NXT, Edison, MBlock

Key Focus:
Victorian Curriculum Digital Technologies Content Descriptions:

- Define and decompose real-world problems taking into account functional requirements and
sustainability (economic, environmental, social), technical and usability constraints
(VCDTCD040)
- Design algorithms represented diagrammatically and in English, and trace algorithms to
predict output for a given input and to identify errors (VCDTCD042)
- Develop and modify programs with user interfaces involving branching, iteration and
functions using a general-purpose programming language(VCDTCD043)
- Evaluate how well student-developed solutions and existing information systems meet
needs, are innovative and take account of future risks and sustainability (VCDTCD044)

- Please note: Although many of the Robotics programs are based on coding, the language
used is often block based. Therefore, the Robotics program does not cover text based
programming that is listed in the 7&8 curriculum descriptors, thus, you will need to include
another programming language unit at some point in time in your Level 7 & 8 course.

Why teach robotics?

- Integral to the curriculum with its ability to integrate across the STEM areas.
- Encourages creative thinking, computational thinking, analysis and critical thinking, problem
solving and teamwork.
- Based on a variety of programming languages, Robotics can help students to think logically
and work through an iterative process to achieve a desired goal.
Details:

Lesson # Lesson Focus Possible Resources

1 Movement - Diameters and Circumferences Doma Bot Challenge

http://cache.lego.com/
Drive forward upload/contentTempla
Write a program for a robot to move forward in a straight line ting/Mindstorms2Com
munityBooks/otherfile
Drive backward s/download24B80C99
Add to the program making the robot to move back along the DF5C71F11E04C3AF
path it has just taken 9E13A592.pdf

Drive with a 90 degree turn. Riley Rover

Write a program to driving around a square including turning challenge:
http://mrswiltsclass.w
eebly.com/uploads/3/
7/4/8/37488829/chp_
2_riley_rover_basics_
notes.pdf

2 Detect Touch - Touch Sensors

Aim is to learn how to make the robot interact with the
environment by detecting an object by touching it.
Write a program that enables the robot to move forward until it
detects a touch. At this point the robot would stop.
Change the program to have the robot reverse when it detects
a touch.

3 Detect Distance - Ultrasonic Sensors

Aim is to learn how to make the robot interact with the
environment by detecting an object without touching it.
Write a program that has the robot driving close without
touching the object.
Change the program to have it stop if it detects something.
Write a new program that has the robot avoiding the detected
obstacle e.g. Drive around and obstacle, such as a cup or
pencil case Drive around the border of a desk without driving
off the edge

4 Detect Dark Line - Light Sensor

Aim is to learn how to make the robot interact with the
environment by detecting a line drawn on the floor by using its
light sensor.
Write a program using the light sensor to recognise a line e.g.
Create a maze on a large piece of paper in which the robot
navigates around avoiding the walls
Try to adjust the program so it misses the first dark line but
stops on the second dark line
Write an additional program that uses the light sensor to follow
a line.
5 Hit an object e.g. ball
Aim is to learn how to make the robot interact with the
environment by using a condition instruction and make changes
to its behaviour only if the conditions are right.
Write a program that directs your robot towards an object.
Once it reaches that object, provide instructions that direct the
robot to hit the red ball.
Change the instructions to hit another colour ball.

6 Robotics Scenario or Challenge Project Example Assessment

Depending on what robotic equipment students have access to Rubric:
7 they need to be presented with a scenario or challenge that http://firstlegoleague.
could be achieved with the resources at hand. org/sites/default/files/
8 animal-allies/fll-
Possible scenarios: rubrics-2016.pdf
9 http://www.robocupjunior.org.au/rescue
Delivering food in a hospital following a line painted on the floor.
10
Grid searching a given area for searching for a goal painted on
the floor. (weeding a field)
Navigating a simple maze
Carry out experiments designed to determine melting points -
collect data samples with the temperature sensor and track and
plot the results using the intuitive graphing environment.
Lego League Challenge e.g. Animal Allies
Identify a problem when people and animals interact
Design a solution that makes the interaction better for animals,
people, or both
Share your problem and solution with others

Students need to consider the steps and decisions their robot

will need to take (Flowchart), build and test their idea, repeating
as necessary.

Students need to develop a rubric on how they will assess their

own and other's work.

Assessment:
Once the scenario or challenge has been decided upon by the class, students will create a
rubric which will be used to assess their ability to navigate through the task.
-
Additional Lessons ideas if time permits:

Robot vs Machines
- What's the difference between a robot and a machine?
- Where do we use robots - what tasks
- Repetitive
- Dangerous
- Driving
- Inhospitable environments (Space exploration, underwater)
- Where are we heading? What role will robots play in our lives in the future? What role are
the already playing today?
- Possible Resource: http://stemrobotics.cs.pdx.edu/node/190

Impact of robots in society

- How do people interact with robots? Ethics?
- Possible resources:
- http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/01/28/170272582/do-we-treat-our-gadgets-
like-they-re-human
- http://mir1.hitchbot.me/news-media/usa/

Links:

Curriculum Assistance
- http://education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/roboticscurriculum/middle-school/

Lego Mindstorms NXT

- http://lego.brandls.info/ebooks/8547_ms_user_guide.pdf
- http://www.legoengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/download-tutorial-pdf-
2.4MB.pdf

Lego Mindstorms EV3

- https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/mindstorms-ev3/user-guides
- http://www.legoengineering.com/ev3-tutorials-by-students-for-
students/

MBlock
- http://www.makeblock.com/mbot-v1-1-stem-educational-robot-kit
- http://wiki.makeblock.cc/index.php?
title=Getting_Started_with_Makeblock
- http://learn.makeblock.com/en/getting-started-programming-with-
mblock/

Edison Robots
- https://meetedison.com/
- https://meetedison.com/content/Lesson-plans/Your-EdVenture-into-Robotics-10-Lesson-
Plans-Worksheets.pdf
 Challenges
- http://www.robocupjunior.org.au/
- http://stager.org/lego/challenges.pdf

Reading
- https://farmbot.io/
- http://affordableeducationrobot.github.io/v1.0/