Millbury Thursdays: Teaching LEGO Robotics

The main aim of the course was to teach the ideology of programming through training the robots for physical tasks. After constructing the robots we began to teach the basics of EV3 programming, such as motor controls and loops. Through experimentation, the students were able to manipulate robot behavior by changing simple parameters. Take turning, for instance. By halting one wheel and activating the other, the robot turns in place, but activating the second motor moves the robot in an arc. 

Our next lesson introduced our first significant challenge: maze solving. We introduced other common programming concepts, like conditional statements and timers, to aid with solving the maze. We set up our maze using blue tape on the floor, mostly improvising as we went and including variations in track width and turning to keep things interesting. Although no one completed the course that day, we saw many interesting methods. Some students tried to optimize for speed, continually turning while in movement and setting the rotation length as fast as possible. Others tried to maximize the safety of their code (the idea being that the robot can be placed in many slightly different places on the start, and the code must adapt for these possibilities). Both of these ideas are essential in programming; optimizing movement is important in modeling systems like the flow of gas molecules and safe models are sought after by computer scientists for industrial applications.

In November, we focused on sensors and their applications. After teaching students about how to code using the different sensors, the students experimented with them. Working with the sound sensors was rather chaotic, as they were sensitive and the activity of other robots and students would trigger them. With their newfound knowledge the students once again attempted the maze. The sensors added multiple ways for self-correcting behavior. Programs were capable of preventing ramming into walls through the ultrasonic sensor, and were able to find the boundaries of the maze through using the light sensor to notice when the light reflected matched that of the color blue. 

For our final lesson this January, we plan on spinning the class in a new direction. Using Arduinos and electric currents, students will design a buzz wire game. We hope that through captivating young students with the power of robotics, we are fueling  the next generation dedicated to fighting the world’s problems through STEM.