Advanced Robotics Class

1. Advanced Robotics Class Challenges

2. Challenge 1 • Repeating Behaviors Challenge • Your company has been commissioned to design a robot to patrol outside a building. You are tasked to develop a “proof of concept” prototype that can travel a designated “loop” route. Guidelines 1.Your robot must complete two full laps around the building. 2. Your robot must not come into contact with any of the posts marking the building or fence. 3. Your program must incorporate at least one Loop Block. 4. Complete two laps using a loop to beat the challenge!

3. Challenge 2 • Obstacle Detection Challenge • Your company’s prototype passed the first phase of testing! For the second phase, your robot must demonstrate the ability to detect and prevent collisions with people and objects along its route.

4. Challenge 2 (cont) • Your robot must complete two full laps around the building. • Your robot must not come into contact with any of the posts marking the building or fence. • Your robot must not come into contact with any of the obstacles! • Obstacles may be placed anywhere, at any time. • Your robot must wait for obstacles to be removed before continuing along its path. • Complete two laps while encountering at least four obstacles to beat the challenge!

5. Challenge 3 • Line Following Challenge • In this challenge, your robot must reach the end of the slalom course as quickly as possible, without knocking over any of the posts along the route.

6. Challenge 3 (cont) • Use a stopwatch to time your robot’s run from the time the Run button is pressed, to the time it crosses the finish line. • Knocking over any gatepost incurs a 3-second penalty per post. • • Missing a gate (not going between the posts) incurs a 10-second penalty per gate. • Fastest team wins • Hints • You can run different optimized line tracking behaviors one after another to go fast or turn sharply when needed.

7. Challenge 4 • Make your robot move at a random speed using data hubs. • Use the random block • Move block should be 5 rotations

8. Challenge 5 • Use sound sensor connected to a move block data hub to control the speed of your robot. • Use 5 rotations for your move block.

9. Challenge 6 • Use sound sensor so that you can change the speed of the robot in real time. • Hint: Use a loop to update data in real time.

10. Challenge 7 • Design a program that will make the robot go fast when it is far from an object, and slower when the robot is close to the object. • Hint: You will need data blocks!

11. Challenge 7A • Can you make the robot continually update the ultrasonic sensors value on the display screen so the most recent value is always showing. • Bonus: Have the display read centimeters instead of inches.

12. Challenge 8 • Can you make the robot display several different display values at once and continuously update them all? • Hint: Loop required!

13. Challenge 9 • In this challenge, you must program a throttle to allow smooth control of the robot’s speed. • Hint: Use the Rotation sensor built into the motor to detect how far the handle has moved.

14. Challenge 10 School Zone • Start the robot outside the school zone • Start the program • Use the throttle to drive the robot toward the school zone • Slow down in the school zone! • Reduce throttle to a maximum of 25% while within the school zone • Show your reduced speed by displaying the throttle setting on the robot’s screen • Return to normal speed once you have exited the school zone • Beat the challenge by obeying the school zone traffic law!

15. Challenge 11 Variables • You will be storing a value into a variable to be used later. • Drive robot into the box 2 rotations to take a light sensor reading. • Store the reading (write to) number 1. • Reverse robot out and display value on NXT that is stored in the variable.

16. Challenge 12 • Start the robot anywhere on or around the Start line (your choice) • The robot must travel to the second line... • then return to its original position. • The robot must then display (on its screen) the number of Rotation Sensor degrees that the robot traveled to get to the second line. • Hint 1: The Rotation Sensor starts at 0, and counts up as the robot moves forward • Hint 2: The Rotation Sensor counts backwards as the robot moves backward • For this challenge, do not worry about the thickness of the starting line • 6. Change to measure rotations then run again. • Calculate degrees per rotation for your robot.

17. Challenge 13 • Use your program from challenge 6. • This time you will use a math block to divide the sensor value by 2 to control your robot’s speed. • Experiment with different operations to see how math blocks function in a program.

18. Challenge 14 • Use your program from challenge 11. • In this challenge you will subtract the outside light sensor reading from the inside light sensor reading. Display this new calculated value on the NXT. • Hint: You will need two variables, you may need to make a new one, ask teacher for help

19. Building Challenge 1 • Design a better gripper. • It should be able to change levels. • Use pulleys and or gears to increase mechanical advantange.

20. Building Challenge 2 • Design your robot with rack and pinion steering.

21. Challenge 15 • Start the robot behind the Start Line (no parts overhanging) • The robot must travel to the second line... • then return to its original position. • The robot must then display (on its screen) the distance between the Start Line and the Goal line, in centimeters • To convert a measurement in degrees to centimeters: a. Start with the number of degrees b. Multiply by the wheel’s diameter in cm c. Multiply the result by pi d. Divide by 360 Hint: Use math blocks to make the calculations

22. Challenge 15 cont. • Each measurement must be verified using a meter stick or tape measure, and • accurate to within 0.5 cm • Hint 1: The Rotation Sensor starts at 0, and counts up as the robot moves forward • Hint 2: The Rotation Sensor counts backwards as the robot moves backward • For this challenge, the distance to be measured is only the “light” area between • the two dark lines – do NOT count the thickness of the black line itself • Display the value on the screen and you are done!