STEM RoboticsDoug Porter
Saint Ursula AcademyCincinnati ,Ohio 45206
20 Years as a teacher
• 6th Grade Life Science• 7th Grade Earth and Space Science• 8th Grade Physical Science• Tech Prep• General Biology• CP Biology• Honors Biology• AP Biology• Anatomy and Physiology• Forensics• Robotics: Coach, Competition director
Instructor, Writer
What is a robot?
• Tools (make work easier, safer in some way)• Mechanical (move, or manipulate objects)• Sensors (respond to, or detect changes)• Autonomous/Remote Control• Programmable ?
Characteristics Robots are…
Yes NoYes/No Yes Yes Yes
• Develop Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math skills (STEM).
• Develop critical thinking, problem solving skills• Develop team work• Tie STEM activities to existing
courses/programs
What is the purpose of your robotics program?
• Junkbots
Getting StartedCheaply
The art of creative dumpster diving
MotorsBattery HoldersSwitchesElectronics
• Make an electric car that runs.• Make it stop before it hits the wall.
– Think outside the box, what do the rules allow, limit?
• Make a mechanical sensor that stops the car before it hits the wall. (Let the students modify the rules)– Repeat: Learn from others, modify, improve.
After the first few examples let the students choose the challenge and let them make the rules.
EX: Stop at the edge of a table, sumo bots
Classroom ChallengesJunkbots
http://www.kelvin.com/
• BEAM = Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, Mechanics:• Biology -- It's tough to beat 4 billion years of evolution; the world around us is a
wonderful source of inspiration and education. Bear in mind, of course, that unlike Mother Nature, you also have the advantage of gears, motors, bearings, and good glues! Bioengineering
• Electronics -- It kind of goes without saying, but this is what we'll use to drive our creations. BEAM robotics, though, strives for rich behaviors from simple circuits. Here's the key: simple and understandable circuits, surprisingly complex in behavior. Physics
• Aesthetics -- This just means your creations should look good. I'm an engineer, but even I appreciate a good-looking design. Besides, if a design looks "clean," it's more likely to work (and easier to test / debug) than a design that's tangled and unruly. Engineering, Art, Design
• Mechanics -- This is the less-than-obvious secret of many successful BEAMbots -- with a clever mechanical design, you can reduce the complexity of the rest of your robot (reducing the number of motors and sensors, for example). Physics, Engineering
BEAM
BEAM Robotics“Mark Tilden”
Solarbotics parts and network• http://www.solarbotics.com/• http://www.solarbotics.net/
Make Magazine Project Ideas• http://makezine.com/
Biology
Sensing and Responding to the environment
• Lego Robotics: – http://robomatter.com/Shop-By-Robot
– RCX: Programmable Autonomous
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/search/RCX
– NXT: Programmable or Remote– http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/categories/product
s/middle-school/lego-mindstorms-education/_/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Sets
– Tetrix: Programmable or Remote– http://www.pitsco.com/store/default.aspx?CategoryID
=62&searchtype=0&c=8-1|62-2&t=0&l=0&loc=mm1
First Competitions
Educational Robotics
• VEX Robotics: Programmable or Remote• http://www.vexrobotics.com/• VEX World Competition:
http://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition
Programming
Robolab RCX Robots
MindstormsNXT,
Tetrix Robots
Robot CRCXNXT
Tetrix VEX
• BEST Robotics
• BotBall– Botball Store
Other Competitions
• Parts/Kits– Junkbots/BEAM
• http://www.kelvin.com/• http://www.solarbotics.com/
– Educational Kits• http://robomatter.com/• http://robomatter.com/Shop-By-Robot• http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/search/RCX• http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/categories/products/middle-school/lego-mindst
orms-education/_/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Sets• http://www.pitsco.com/store/default.aspx?CategoryID=62&searchtype=0&c=8-1%7
C62-2&t=0&l=0&loc=mm1&bhcp=1• http://www.vexrobotics.com/
Links and Resources
• Books/Magazines– http://makezine.com/– http://find.botmag.com/– http://www.servomagazine.com/– Davids Cooks Robot Guides http://www.robotroom.com/
• Software– RobotC http://www.robotc.net/ Tutorials, Teacher Materials, Workshops and
Software• Training
– Carnegie Mellon University http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/roboticscurriculum/
– Robot C Virtual Worlds http://www.robotc.net/download/rvw/
Links and Resources cont.