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Robot DocumentationAttached to this zip file are the printed out workshop materials for the CSbots workshop. They include information on how to set up a network for the robot, how to create and run programs for it, and how to use this website to upload further assignments. Solutions to CSbots assignmentsThe InstructorMaterials zip file contains java solutions to about a dozen of the CSbots assignments, as well as starter files to the Gremlins and Maze assignments. Programming RobotsThis year some of my students at the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter, New Hampshire experienced first hand the fun of programming an iCreate robot with a Qwerk interface provided by Carnegie Mellon University. Attached you will find 10 projects that very in difficulty from trivial to quite challenging. The students that worked with the robot were from my Java, C++ and Digital Electronics classes. We even had about 20 middle school students come in on a Friday evening to spend a couple hours learning about the robot. "Shelter" kinetic fabric sculpture (BigBot)I am currently building another robotic fabric sculpture, this one entitled “Shelter.” It is essentially two concentric rotating silk tents about 12 feet tall, with a space inside into which a viewer may go. The motors, sensors, and electronics are all at the top. Introduction to Programming using C++ (robotics application) - Brooklyn College (City University of New York)Agents Lab @ Brooklyn College has built cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux) console support for the SRV-1 Blackfin and ARM7 for use in our course - CIS1.5 Introduction to Computing Using C++. This is part of a larger robotics education program called robotics.edu, which is a shared spaced for curricular materials used in educational robotics classes for middle school and undergraduates students. robotics.edurobotice.edu is the home page for the developing educational robotics repository, which we fondly refer to as: robotics.edu. We define educational robotics to be the use of robotics as a hands-on learning environment for teaching topics other than specifically robotics. Green Roof Roller Coaster 4 June 2008We're building a roller coaster for potted plants. The plants will have sensors attached to them that let the roller coaster know when they are bored. Software Environment for the CSbots programAttached is the software environment for the CSbots program. It provides a Jcreator project which allows students to quickly start using the CSbots robot. It also contains several example files and a skeleton file that students can use to start programs with. To open it, unzip it and then click on MyFirstRobot.jcp. You should have Jcreator 3.5 or later installed, as well as Java 5 or higher. Assignments for the CSbots programAttached are 41 assignments for an introduction to computer science class that uses robots. The assignments were developed with the Create/Qwerk robot platform in mind, but many may be usable with other platforms. Rice for Non-Robots with Zucchini sideSoak 2 cups of rice in warm water with plenty of salt for an hour. Peel the zucchini (skinny ones) and chop off the very ends, slice in half lengthwise, then salt generously. Let sit until they sweat. Now chop up an onion into centimeter-sized chunks, and saute the onion in olive oil in a pan for a couple of minutes, then add the zucchini. Sprinkle pepper, salt, cumin and turmeric on top and saute until soft, about 45 minutes on gradually lower and lower heat. Boil enough water to fill a large pot, add in the rice that was soaking, and boil for 7 minutes. Then drain the rice into a colander. Now empty the pot of all the water, add some olive oil, salt and ground saffron on the bottom of the pot, then pile the rice back in. Then place it on medium-low heat on the stovetop to steam for about 45 minutes until somewhere between al-dente and soft. Gadgetry 101Gadgetry 101 is a course that I co-teach through the Carnegie Mellon student college*. In the course, students learn the necessary steps to create an electro-mechanical gadget. Gigapan Robot class in Soweto South AfricaClean Water Not Cameras There is a refrain that schools in conditions of true poverty need clean water, and that technology such as Gigapan is, simply put, the wrong application of resources. Now I can say with confidence that this is utter nonsense. The school, Lavela High School, is in a poor part of the township, Soweto. But that does not mean that there is any difference between the attitudes, desires and enthusiasm of the learners as compared to our “priveleged” students in a private school in the U.S. Lavela is down an unmarked road and consists of fifteen dust-colored buildings. The facilities are modest but well-kept, and wait until you approach the large, steel, blue-painted door. Behind that door is a computer lab, nine months old, that contains 30 Intel workstations and a large server. Imagine the feeling when you fly for 24 hours then drive into Soweto, which both feels like a foreign land because of all the prior stereotypes you hold in your head and also has shopping malls that are newer and prettier than what Pittsburgh possesses. Now you turn down a road, drive through a section on dirt paths next to the actual torn-up road, take two more turns, then walk in on that computer laboratory. Gigapan signs have been printed and posted on the walls. An arrow to the left, with the word Gigapan printed above. Where the direction is right, the sign is posted upside-down. Easter Egg Gigapan huntSo this is a robotic end-result, but it is interesting. We challenged the Gigapan beta community with creating easter egg hunt scenes, capturing them as high-res paonoramas, and putting them on Gigapan. We aleady have 7 such images, and it’s pretty enjoyable using them for a scavenger hunt. Try it out, it is all available at: Gigapan. I'm attaching two images that show a whole panorama and a chocolate bunny detail. One more hint just for here: the Mad Hatter bunnies one has a hidden message: find it and you may win something very real. Judging a FIRST Robotics CompetitionFIRST is an organization dedicated to inspiring students to working in science and engineering fields. They do so by creating high-octane competitions that feel like sporting events, but in which the central competitors are student built robots. For those who are interested in volunteer work, judging such a competition is exciting, exhausting, and rewarding. Robotic Autonomy Summer CourseRobotic Autonomy Summer Course was a class that we created and deployed at NASA/Ames for CMU in 2004 in which we attempted to reengineer teaching about robotics using a series of challenges and exhibtions over the whole summer. A new robot, the Trikebot, was developed, and a whole research project was done on what kind of learning happened with the students. The complete curriculum, the evaluation surveys and an article describing the whole class and the cognitive results, are all available here. The course also has an interactive website here: 3 attachments · 4 images · 0 comments Middle School CHiP Robot CurriculumAlmost a decade ago we developed a web-based set of activities for an after-school program for middle choolers learning to experiment with robots. They programmed these challenges with an iconic programming language. While the CHiP robot never became commercial, the activities are a good example of what can be done with a fairly simple robot. The full curriculum is available to flip through at: Arts/Exploration-Based Robot CurriculumHave a look at a set of lesson plans and support materials used in Summer 2007, with the ‘Canary’ Technology. Note: The Slideshows zip file is huge! Maintaining and Improving Seniors' Quality of LifeThis Word document is a compilation of the 13 lesson plans in Hank Sauer’s curriculum, “Maintaining and Improving Seniors’ Quality of Life.” The curriculum is design for high school students. Fun with RobotsFun with robots is a student taught course at Carnegie Mellon. It’s been running for six years and has attracted hundreds of students. Check out their website for curriculum details: (http://www.roboticsclub.org/fwr/) Robot History Crossword PuzzleThis is a robot history crossword puzzle. It was created by Matthew Anticole as a homework assignment for the C-MITES Robot 250 workshop. Canary Engineering ChallengesThese are two homework assignments created by Matthew Anticole to accompany the Robot 250 Canary workshops. Each presents a different brainstorming design challenge. The first asks the students to design a method to transfer liquid from one container to another using each of the Canary servo modes. The second asks students to design three methods to lift marbles 6 inches in the air. Assignments and Software CSThis zip file contains the assignments and related software for both students and instructors for the introduction to computer science course. Creative Robotics WorkshopThis curriculum is for a single-day, creative robotics workshop, designed for middle school students without any prior robotics experience. It was designed specifically for an all-girls class, but could work for boys as well. |
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