Faster Line Tracking Introductory Presentation

Opening Activity Try the following with a partner: Obtain a meter stick Holding the meter stick vertically, have your partner place their thumb and forefinger on either side of it near the bottom, but not touch it Drop the stick and see how far it falls before your partner can catch it Switch roles and see who can catch it faster

Review The meter stick activity was a test of your reaction time. The robot’s reaction time is based on its hardware and software.

Review In “Follow The Guidelines,” the NXT Light Sensor enabled our robot to follow a line that we created.

Preview If we wanted to speed up the robot’s line tracking we would have to consider its reaction time. Most importantly, we need to know how quickly it can read and respond to data from its Light Sensor.

Preview If the Light Sensor is moving too quickly, our robot may not have time to react. One way to slow down the Light Sensor is to move it closer to the robot’s tires.

Preview This works because the Light Sensor will have to cover less distance during each turn, and therefore can move slower. Now the Light Sensor will be moved to the rear of the robot. The blue shows the horizontal distance the sensor was moved while at the front of the robot. The green shows the horizontal distance it was moved while at the rear of the robot. The Light Sensor positioned at the front of the robot.

Now you have the necessary knowledge to get started in the Faster Line Tracking Activity. Good Luck!