2. Project Overview Introduction & Product Analysis
Drawing & communication
Sensing abilities in robots
Programming Robots
Mechanisms and Systems
Designing new products & Packaging
Presentation and Rendering
Biomimicry
Concept Modelling
Concept presentations

3. LESSON 04

4. LEARNING ABOUT PROGRAMMING
LESSON 4 STARTER
Learning objective: Learn about programming robots to operate autonomously, making use of time, motion and sensors.
LEARNING ABOUT PROGRAMMING
What is programming? Some HEXBUG’s are already autonomous. This means they are able to move freely without any human intervention. They respond to other HEXBUG’s as well as the environment they are placed in.
Look at these HEXBUG’s, what sort of decisions are they making to make them autonomous?
New words: autonomous, decision, environment

5. Programming Your Friends
Activity Part 1 For this activity you will need to work in pairs.
One person will need to be blindfolded or close their eyes
Your partner must give you instructions on how to get you from one place in the room to another, ONLY ONE INSTRUCTION AT A TIME
You must use the following “code”:
CODE
START
STOP
FORWARD
REVERSE
TURN CLOCKWISE
TURN ANTICLOCKWISE

6. Programming Your Friends
Activity Part 2 This time, the code gets a little more complex
CODE
START
STOP
FORWARD
REVERSE
TURN RIGHT
TURN LEFT
MEASUREMENTS
ANGLE DEGREES
SECONDS
STEPS
CLOCKWISE
ANTICLOCKWISE

7. Programming Your Friends
Activity Part 3
Now you have to program them fully before they set off and you are not allowed to speak to them while they are in operation.
CODE
START
STOP
FORWARD
REVERSE
TURN RIGHT
TURN LEFT
MEASUREMENTS
ANGLE DEGREES
SECONDS
STEPS
CLOCKWISE
ANTICLOCKWISE

8. What is Psuedocode?
Example: Make a robot turn 360 degrees and end up where it started:
MOVE FORWARD 1 SECOND
TURN CLOCKWISE 90 DEGREES
What is Psuedocode? You have actually just been programming using psudocode in your teams.
Psudocode is ordinary language used by programmers before they choose a computer language.
Psuedocode is the “starting point” for programming robots!
New words: psuedocode, computer language, degrees

9. Sensors?
Task: Imagine the Hexbug you have in front of you has no ability to sense. Create code for it to move around your table in a loop back to the beginning but avoiding your pencils, pens, folder, book, and other objects.

10. LESSON 4 PLENARY
As a class, let us consider the following questions? A. What is pseudo code? B. What do we measure angles with? C. Why do sensors help simplify code? D. How does code make a product more interesting?

11. Summary
Learning objective: Learn about programming robots to operate autonomously, making use of time, motion and sensors.
Today you have:
Learnt what psudocode is and how it can be used by programmers and coders in robotics
Program your “Friends” and other “Hexbug’s” using psuedocode and make them become autonomous
Developed knowledge of code