West Hills Christian School: April 2012

Your challenge this week:

First, do some background research using the links below.

Second, design and create a robot using either . . .

Google Sketch Up
Scratch
GIMP
Microsoft Power Point
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Publisher
Legos
SAM Animation

Save your robot it in your folder. Please name it - Robot1

(If you build it out of legos, turn it in to Mrs. Larson.)

Third, using Microsoft Word, write a brief description of your robot.

Give your robot a name.
Describe what it looks like and what it would be made out of.
Describe what your robot's purpose is - what does it do?

Be sure to edit your work. Save this document as - Robot2

What exactly is a robot?

As strange as it might seem, there really is no standard definition for a robot. However, there are some essential characteristics that a robot must have and this might help you to decide what is and what is not a robot. It will also help you to decide what features you will need to build into a machine before it can count as a robot.

A robot has these essential characteristics:

Sensing First of all your robot would have to be able to sense its surroundings. It would do this in ways that are not unsimilar to the way that you sense your surroundings. Giving your robot sensors: light sensors (eyes), touch and pressure sensors (hands), chemical sensors (nose), hearing and sonar sensors (ears), and taste sensors (tongue) will give your robot awareness of its environment.
Movement A robot needs to be able to move around its environment. Whether rolling on wheels, walking on legs or propelling by thrusters a robot needs to be able to move. To count as a robot either the whole robot moves, like the Sojourner or just parts of the robot moves, like the Canada Arm.
Energy A robot needs to be able to power itself. A robot might be solar powered, electrically powered, battery powered. The way your robot gets its energy will depend on what your robot needs to do.
Intelligence A robot needs some kind of "smarts." This is where programming enters the pictures. A programmer is the person who gives the robot its 'smarts.' The robot will have to have some way to receive the program so that it knows what it is to do.

So what is a robot?

Well it is a system that contains sensors, control systems, manipulators, power supplies and software all working together to perform a task. Designing, building, programming and testing a robots is a combination of physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, structural engineering, mathematics and computing. In some cases biology, medicine, chemistry might also be involved. A study of robotics means that students are actively engaged with all of these disciplines in a deeply problem-posing problem-solving environment.

More Background Knowledge About Robots . . .

Find out what a robot is, what kinds of tasks robots are good at and how they work.

What kinds of robots are already used in our homes?

Other Links

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Pete the Cat

Monday, April 2, 2012

Celebrating National Robotics Week!