STEM RoboticsDoug Porter

Saint Ursula AcademyCincinnati ,Ohio 45206

dporter@saintursula.org

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.