ORTOP NXT Robotics Techniques Workshop 2009 “Opening doors to the worlds of science and technology for Oregon’s youth”

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Goals Audience: Rookie coaches/mentors, experienced coaches & mentors Provide material that is immediately usable with your team Gain experience with 3 motor robot & missions More experience programming Mindstorms NXT You should have already attended NXT workshops I & II and/or coached a team in a 2008 tournament

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Instructor Contacts Ken Cone Dale Jordan Leroy Nuckles Jim Ryan Roger Swanson

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques ORTOP Project Administrator Cathy Swider (after August 1, 2009) FLL Operational Partner for Oregon

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Agenda Introductions (5 min) Slide Review (20 min) Review mission video(s) NXT Techniques lab exercises (90 min) Distance sensor Loops, Variables, My Blocks Mission exercise Review & questions

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Our Mission FLL is not just about building robots and competing in tournaments Develop team member skills technical team building research & presentation Technical problem solving can be fun The youngsters do the work Introduce possibility of a technical career

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques CanDo Challenge Simple project, but good learning tool What did you learn? Unexpected things happen – cans get caught under the wheel, it goes the “wrong” direction Take it in smaller steps – “Let’s see what happens before it hits a can” Mechanical problems may do you in Clarify the “rules” – know the requirements Experiment – “Just go try it. We can rework it.” Keep it simple

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Engineering Design Process Redesign Communicate Test and Evaluate Create a Prototype Choose the Best Solution Develop Possible Solutions Define the Problem Research the Problem

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Building Strong Structures Note how NXT parts are all pinned together using Technic parts Here are three cross bracing examples Ref: Minnesota HighTekKids.org “Robot Building”

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Gears Spur Gear (show example) instructor holds beam class person turns axles and feels torque on other axle tactile feedback = learning about gears and torque Gear Ratio and Speed turn the large gear one complete turn How may revolutions does the small gear turn? Is gear ratio the same as the ratio of gear teeth?

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Gears Gears & Pulleys Worm Gears (show example) one way transfer of power Crown & Bevel Gears turn 90 degrees Spur Gears change direction & change torque

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Motors One Move block in the program controls both motors The robot moves straight - motors will adjust speed as the robot moves Try programming tests for straight and curved movements, adjusting the turn slider for each test What happens at the extreme ends of the turn slider? There are Move blocks and Motor blocks – Motor blocks allow ramp up and ramp down of speed (speed vs. time)

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Base Robot Chassis 3 motor base Level, square Screen location Attachments Nxtprograms.com TriBot design, built in Educational Kit Class comments on various designs

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Program Memory Firmware & programs stored in flash (like photos on a digital camera) Maximum available memory is ~125KB Firmware refresh and all files deleted Each program is ~0.1KB overhead E.g. Move block ~5.1KB, two ~5.8KB E.g. Move + Wait for light sensor ~7.7KB Use My Blocks for subroutines for better memory usage Click NXT Window then Memory to view memory usage Instructor show this command Refer to NXTmemory.doc for more details Instructor, show this file

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Writing Efficient NXT-G Programs Maximize free space by deleting default files that are downloaded with firmware Maximize code reuse Use only Move or only Motor blocks Loops and My Blocks Combine multiple programs – can combine 2 programs into 1 and select which of the two sequences to run programmatically (using a touch sensor, for example) Minimize Sound and Display blocks Use Mini-Blocks

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques NXT Software V1.1, 2.0 New version V1.1 released summer/fall kits will have v kits may or may not. Check and see As of Jan 2009, kits shipped with 2.0, $80 single license Main advantage is performance enhancements Downloading to NXT is faster Size of blocks on the NXT is smaller Mini-Blocks can be downloaded: mindstorms.lego.com/support/updates

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Lab Exercises Lab Sections Lab 1 - The Distance Sensor Lab 2 – Loops, Variables & My Blocks This exercise shows 2 different techniques to program the robot to go in a square Introduces different programming techniques Shows memory usage of different techniques Mission programming using 3 motor design

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Lab Exercises Show video: examples of robots with fixtures for each mission Introduce yourself to other team members Begin with Lab1&2 exercises Add attachments to 3 motor base to run 1-2 missions 90 min to complete the labs Ask questions, chances are someone else has the same question Have fun!

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Lab Conclusions LAB Conclusions Each team briefly explain a section of what you learned in this workshop What advice would you have for a team starting out with NXT? Teaching for understanding “creates challenging situations in which students test their knowledge by solving problems, building products, and giving performances or writing reports that synthesize thorough analysis of a topic, a concept, or an idea.” *

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Next Steps Register your team with FLL Share with your team NXT Robotics Techniques slides NXT Techniques labs Mindstorms NXT tutorial (show tutorial) Build and test 2-3 robot designs, then have your team select a hybrid of best features Challenge the kids! Make up your own exercises – stress basics & reliability

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Resources Tutorial, Dale Yocum Download from oads.html takes time, go through in sections NXT Tutorial is also available online: Requires Adobe Macromedia Shockwave Player and high speed download connection Inscite

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Parting Thoughts From “All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (By Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten* Tips from 12 year olds on being creative: Start simple Work on things that you like If you have no clue what to do, fiddle around Don’t be afraid to experiment Find a friend to work with, share ideas! It’s OK to copy stuff (to give you an idea) Keep your ideas in a sketch book Build, take apart, rebuild Lots of things can go wrong, stick with it *MIT Media Lab

10/26/2015NXT Robotics Techniques Review & Questions Please give us your input Let ORTOP know how we can improve the program Thanks for volunteering! Your effort make learning possible. Disassemble robots (keep caster assy together) and put pieces back into kits