Practising for Roborescue

Dear Bloggers,

Years 5 and 6 enjoyed the challenge of using light sensors to follow the black line on the Roborescue field. Children wrote a program using a switch. They used the view menu to measure the percentage of reflected light from white and  black and these values were averaged to calculate the threshold needed for their program. The black line, however, on the Roborescue field twists and turns.  Students experimented  with many solutions of navigating such a field.  Robots moving slowly had more success but the trade off for accuracy was speed.  The ideal height for the light sensors to give the most accurate reading is about 4 mm and students were challenged to mount their light sensor/s accordingly

Using two light sensors and embedded switches performed better but the programming was difficult.  The sensors were built so they straddled the black line. But there are even better ways to program the robot and what about the green on the field that tells the robot where to turn.  These are all challenges for next week. I am excited to see where this leads. I will keep you posted.

 

Thanks for calling by

 

Mrs Garlick

Years 6/5H,N and W and the Alien Invasion.

Dear Bloggers,

Years 6/5H,N and W used their NXT robots to stop an ‘Alien Invasion’.

Using the view menu and measuring the distance in degrees to the alien, pupils were able to accurately program their bot  to stand infront of the Alien.  The children designed a motorised arm to capture their alien.  Using the ‘View menu’ again, this time the children measured the number of degrees one motor turned as the robot rotated 180 degrees.  This number was used to turn the robot around and then the robot was programmed to return to base.

Programs were discussed

Heads were put together

Careful positioning and alignment were critical to the success of the mission.

Trouble shooting helped to find answers to problems.

The children designed and built their ‘alien catching arm’.

Here are some more pictures of the children carrying out the challenge.

Thanks for calling by

Mrs Garlick