Computer Programming
with Robots
What is Programming?
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• Computer programming
consists of writing lines of
code in a language that a
computer will understand to
solve a problem
• Some computer languages
include: Java, C++,
and Python
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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What is Programming?
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• Computer science can solve
problems ranging from adding
numbers together to operating
a rover on Mars
• At Georgia Tech all students
are required to take at least
one course in
computer science in
order to graduate
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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The Scribbler Robot
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• $2 million program funded by
Microsoft, Georgia Tech, and
Bryn Mawr to encourage
students to learn computer
science
• At Georgia Tech, the robot
program is centered at
the Microsoft IPRE Lab
(Institute for Personal
Robots in Education)
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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The Scribbler Robot
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• Introduction to Programming
with Robots or CS 1301 is the
computer science course for
non-engineering majors
• We used Python to talk to our
robots and have them make
noises, move, take
pictures, draw, and
explore
their
surroundings
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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The Scribbler Robot
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• The robot runs on six AA
batteries and uses two big
wheels and a smaller wheel to
steer
• The robot’s camera dongle
connects to a laptop computer
via Bluetooth and
allows a programmer
to give commands
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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Sound and Motion
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• Two commands tell the robot
to make noise: beep and speak
• beep() takes in information
about the number of seconds
and frequency of a note
beep(1,440)plays A one second
• speak() takes in a
message in quotes
speak(“Hello”)
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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Sound and Motion
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
• The robot’s motors power the
large wheels and allow the
robot to move
motors(1,1)forward full speed
motors(0.5,0.5)forward half
motors(-1,-1)backward
motors(0,0)/stop()
motors(1,-1)spin
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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Camera and Sensors
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
• The camera on the dongle
allows the robot to take pictures
and even movies
pic = takePicture()
show(pic)
savePicture(pic,”pic.jpg”)
Programs
and Games
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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Camera and Sensors
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
Camera and
Sensors
• The robot has a series of
different sensors to obtain
information from surroundings
• IR sensors locate various
obstacles
• Light sensors measure
light levels
Programs
and Games
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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Programs and Games
What is
Programming?
The Scribbler
Robot
Sound and
Motion
•
•
•
•
Dance
Photography
Tick Tack Toe
Color Recognition
Camera and
Sensors
Programs
and Games
Computer Programming with Robots|Michelle Delcourt|Georgia Tech
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