STEM Robotics
Doug Porter
Saint Ursula Academy
Cincinnati ,Ohio 45206
dporter@saintursula.org
20 Years as a teacher
• 6th Grade Life Science
• 7th Grade Earth and Space Science
• 8th Grade Physical Science
• Tech Prep
• General Biology
• CP Biology
• Honors Biology
• AP Biology
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Forensics
• Robotics: Coach, Competition director
Instructor, Writer
What is a robot?
Characteristics
Robots are…
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Tools (make work easier, safer in some way)
Mechanical (move, or manipulate objects)
Sensors (respond to, or detect changes)
Autonomous/Remote Control
Programmable ?
Yes
Yes/No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
What is the purpose of your
robotics program?
• Develop Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math skills (STEM).
• Develop critical thinking, problem solving skills
• Develop team work
• Tie STEM activities to existing
courses/programs
Getting Started
• Junkbots
Cheaply
Motors
Battery Holders
Switches
Electronics
The art of creative dumpster diving
Classroom Challenges
Junkbots
• Make an electric car that runs.
• Make it stop before it hits the wall.
– Think outside the box, what do the rules allow, limit?
• Make a mechanical sensor that stops the car before
it hits the wall. (Let the students modify the rules)
– Repeat: Learn from others, modify, improve.
After the first few examples let the students choose the
challenge and let them make the rules.
EX: Stop at the edge of a table, sumo bots
http://www.kelvin.com/
BEAM Robotics
“Mark Tilden”
• BEAM = Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, Mechanics:
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Biology -- It's tough to beat 4 billion years of evolution; the world around us is a
wonderful source of inspiration and education. Bear in mind, of course, that unlike
Mother Nature, you also have the advantage of gears, motors, bearings, and good
glues! Bioengineering
Electronics -- It kind of goes without saying, but this is what we'll use to drive our
creations. BEAM robotics, though, strives for rich behaviors from simple
circuits. Here's the key: simple and understandable circuits, surprisingly complex in
behavior. Physics
Aesthetics -- This just means your creations should look good. I'm an engineer, but
even I appreciate a good-looking design. Besides, if a design looks "clean," it's
more likely to work (and easier to test / debug) than a design that's tangled and
unruly. Engineering, Art, Design
Mechanics -- This is the less-than-obvious secret of many successful BEAMbots -with a clever mechanical design, you can reduce the complexity of the rest of your
robot (reducing the number of motors and sensors, for example). Physics,
Engineering
BEAM
Biology
Sensing and
Responding to
the environment
Solarbotics parts and network
•http://www.solarbotics.com/
•http://www.solarbotics.net/
Make Magazine Project Ideas
•http://makezine.com/
Educational Robotics
• Lego Robotics:
– http://robomatter.com/Shop-By-Robot
– RCX: Programmable Autonomous
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/search/RCX
– NXT: Programmable or Remote
– http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/categories/product
s/middle-school/lego-mindstormseducation/_/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Se
ts
– Tetrix: Programmable or Remote
– http://www.pitsco.com/store/default.aspx?CategoryID
=62&searchtype=0&c=8-1|62-2&t=0&l=0&loc=mm1
First Competitions
• VEX Robotics: Programmable or Remote
• http://www.vexrobotics.com/
• VEX World Competition: http://www.robotevents.com/robotcompetitions/vex-robotics-competition
Programming
Robolab
RCX Robots
Mindstorms
NXT,
Tetrix Robots
Robot C
RCX
NXT
Tetrix
VEX
Other Competitions
• BEST Robotics
• BotBall
– Botball Store
Links and Resources
• Parts/Kits
– Junkbots/BEAM
• http://www.kelvin.com/
• http://www.solarbotics.com/
– Educational Kits
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http://robomatter.com/
http://robomatter.com/Shop-By-Robot
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/search/RCX
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/categories/products/middle-school/legomindstorms-education/_/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Sets
• http://www.pitsco.com/store/default.aspx?CategoryID=62&searchtype=0&c=81%7C62-2&t=0&l=0&loc=mm1&bhcp=1
• http://www.vexrobotics.com/
Links and Resources cont.
• Books/Magazines
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http://makezine.com/
http://find.botmag.com/
http://www.servomagazine.com/
Davids Cooks Robot Guides http://www.robotroom.com/
• Software
– RobotC http://www.robotc.net/ Tutorials, Teacher Materials, Workshops and
Software
• Training
– Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/roboticscurriculum/
– Robot C Virtual Worlds http://www.robotc.net/download/rvw/