(Re)New Orleans
with Robotics
Summer Camp!
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(RE)NEW ORLEANS
SUMMER CAMP AT-A-GLANCE
BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION EVOLUTION
HandCrank
Light
●Simple build
with 1 motor
●Inspired by
reverse
engineering
●Day 1:
Light Up Your
Imagination!
Build in
Bins
●Simple frame &
wheels
●Construction
concepts with
Technics
●Day 2:
Exploration
Stations
Funky
Fridge
Pusher
●Basic vehicle
(wheels or
tread)
●Guided build
●Day 4:
Fix the Foul
Fridge Funk!
Funky
Fridges
Herder
Trailer
Hitch
●Modify basic
vehicle
●Add features to
base build & add
sensors
●Day 5: Foul
Fridges in the
Big Queasy
●Modify basic
vehicle
●Add 3rd motor
●Day 8:
Building
Momentum
PROGRAMMING EVOLUTION
Funky Fridge
Pusher
●Timing
●Driving &
turning using
“move” blocks
●Open loop
system
Funky Fridges
Herder
● “Wait for”
sensor
●Closed loop
system
2
Trailer Hitch
●React to 2+
sensors
●Advanced
closed loop
system
Summer Camp Curriculum
WEEK 1: INVESTIGATING OUR BUILT WORLD
DAY 1: INNOVATION IN OUR WORLD
 Circle Chat & Write Name Poem – brief intro with snacks [~10 min.]
 Survey Monkey [~15 min.]
 Hidden Build & Draw with A Partner: [~15 min.]
o Partners sit back-to-back & create the tallest structure possible from the bag
of materials [5 minutes to build; Use everything in bag]
o Describe your structure to your partner for her/him to draw without seeing
o After completion, reveal the structure to compare/contrast drawing to real
structure (partners switch roles & repeat)
 Apollo 13 movie clip
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3csfLkMJT4&NR=1
 Light up Your Imagination! Hand-powered flashlight observations & inquiries [~30
min.]
 Design & build your own hand-powered flashlight with MINDSTORMS [see design
brief] [~45 min.]
 Images of Innovation, Engineering, & Robotics in Your World [~10 min.]
o Check out digital cameras to every camper
o Do some sort of really cool surprise about each person getting a camera for
example – someone gives an interesting response & you enthusiastically tell
them that to capture the moment they have earned their very own camp
camera for the 3 weeks
o Begin discussion about digital camera design & how it works
 Think & Tag [~15 min.]
o Intro camp graphic communication board
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DAY 2: EXPLORATION STATIONS
 Invention Cartoons
 Pick Your Pictures
o Share a few highlights from last night’s digital pictures & handle any trouble
shooting with 1st day use of cameras
 5 Exploration Stations: [30 min./station]
o Gears – constructopedia (animated); physical models from LEGOs &
magnets; build your own
o Structures – build wall for drop test & fundamentals of bldg with LEGOs &
then create section of camp bridges
o Build in Bins: label bins with named photos; follow build instructions & break
down into bins when complete
o Zip lines systems - how they work – internet & physical build or play with a
couple versions provided
o MBTI: get to know a partner & yourself – take the MBTI, get your results;
you & a partner exchange results; partner reads summary of your
personality type to check for agreement (meaning the MBTI results seem
representative)
 Group share about stations – reinforce concepts
 Think & Tag
DAY 3: INNOVATION & LOCAL NATURAL DISASTERS
 Report Card: “In 2005, the American Society of Civil Engineers issued a report card,
grading various categories of U.S. infrastructure. THE AVERAGE GRADE WAS “D.”
How can we help improve the grade?
 HEALTH, HAPPINESS, & SAFETY: BECAUSE LIFE TAKES ENGINEERING [~10 min.]
o Introduce the 14 Engineering Grand Challenges of the 21st Century: video &
poster
o Restore & Improve Urban Infrastructure – Guided questioning: What is
infrastructure? How does infrastructure impact health, happiness, & safety in
a community? How can you improve transportation? How do you build better
infrastructure? What is involved in maintaining infrastructure?
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 Reading images of Austin [~15 min.]
o Guided questions to facilitate reading photographs/images
 Current Events Inspiration: Loss of Electricity – Katrina Refrigerators [~10 min.]
o Read narratives & view pics of Katrina refrigerators
 topics of discussion: biohazards; engineering; expression; art in public
places; found object art; aesthetic experiences
 FIX THE FOUL FRIDGE FUNK! [~1 hr.]
o Build Your Bot [see design brief & use 1 of the sample builds]
 Decorate the funky fridges (for pushing) [~15 min.]
o Use template to construct your own fridge to put over a can
o Expression; art in public places; found object art; aesthetic experiences;
communication when almost all other forms of communication were
destroyed
 Discuss refrigerator automation to motivate pictures assignment for the evening:
take pictures of SENSORS automation & control in your life (what is the sensor? –
pic should focus on sensor) [~10 min.]
 Think & Tag [~10 min.]
DAY 4: SENSING THE WORLD AROUND US
 Pick Your Pictures of SENSORS to share taken from night before
 Refine & complete Build of fridge bot pusher [~45 min - 1 hr.]
 Sensing the World around Us – [~1 hr.]
o real world examples – have the students work with products to understand
how they work and sense the environment around them
 Connect to NXT sensors [DTEACh videos introduce the NXT sensors briefly]
 Welcome to Your Webpage! [~30 min.]
o Upload time & brainstorming/writing about content of webpage design [use
animoto instructions]
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WEEK 2: BUILDING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Day 5: Foul Fridges in the Big Queasy
 Enter the Mat
 Guided Programming [1 – ½ hrs.]
o Single fridge pusher challenge (in common palette) to drive straight & turn
using timing
 Pick Your Pictures: Upload pics from the weekend to wiki [~30 min.]
 Think & Tag
DAY 6: THINKING LOCALLY, ACTING GLOBALLY
 Connecting local needs (Austin) to global needs (Haiti)
 News clips – 12 yr old girl & needs and hope in a natural disaster
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sLGbPAW1ds&feature=PlayList&p=3C6D588441C5B
C8F&index=5
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piqf3kR_ycc&feature=channel
 “We Are The World”
o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI
o how our websites & models of ideas can inspire & help
 Think & Tag
 Concrete Creations, Relations, & Floatation – [1 – ½ hrs.]
o HUNGRY TO HELP: bakeless concrete cookies & popcorn as vermiculite
o Design of Experiments: [see 3 different concrete lesson plans]
o Purpose: (concrete bridge; floating ramps for evacuation; other
infrastructure components)
o Variables:
 steel reinforcement (amt & placement);
 concrete recipe for strength (materials ratios);
 floating concrete (determine amt of recycled tires as aggregate)
o Aesthetic: (mold & later exterior design)
 Incorporate builds from Structures Station (see Day 2) onto the Mat – design
their environment – add other builds of interest – EMT area, tent city, FEMA parks,
schools, houses, etc
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DAY 7: MOVING FUNKY FRIDGES: FROM THE BIG QUEASY BACK TO BEING THE BIG EASY
 6-3-5 [led by undergraduate]
o What design will you want to deal with the environment & your goals?
 Incorporate sensor(s) into build [~ 1 hr.]
 Program Bot [~1 – ½ hrs.]
o Monitor more than one sensor (herding; signal to know that they have found
a funky fridge to help trouble shoot with programming)
 Pick Your Pictures: Upload pics/website design
 Think & Tag
DAY 8: BUILDING MOMENTUM
 Building Momentum: common build that could address many of the design
challenges [trailer hitch] [~ 1 hr.]
 Concrete Crushing and Testing [complete concrete lessons] [~ 45 min. - 1 hr.]
o Incorporate the crushed concrete as rubble on the mat
 Brainstorm while taking apart all builds for a fresh start next week!
WEEK 3: OPERATING IN A BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Day 9: RESCUE BOTS
 Team formation (based on MBTI)
 Brainstorming design challenges – Choose Your Challenge(s)!
 Each group starts with a fresh build
o DESGIN STATIONS & CONSULTATIONS
 Identify Individuals in Need (sense different colors)
 Move Rubble (trailer hitch)
 Deliver Supplies (zip line crawler)
 Transport Water (blue tooth programming)
 [Matchbox] Cars on The Bridge (remove cars from bridge)
 High Water Clearance (Build high clearance vehicle)
 It Is A Slippery Slope (add appendage to get vehicle up the slippery
slope)
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 Avoid Hazardous Areas (toxic fridge spills – how does the rescuebot
react to change of environment such as toxic spills?)
Day 10: RESCUE BOTS CONTINUE
Day 11: PRESENTATIONS – HIGHLIGHTS & CHALLENGES
Day 12: FIELD TRIP TO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
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