Archive for the ‘curriculum’ tag
Webinar – Using the RVW Curriculum Companion
We will be LIVE at 4pm EST today with our free Robot Virtual Worlds webinar! This is the second in a five part Google + Hangout series that will take place every Monday in the month of April. Today’s topic is how to use the Robot Virtual World’s Curriculum Companion.
If you can’t tune in at 4pm EST, we will update this post later in the day with the YouTube recording. If you are joining us live, make sure to send us your questions …
Video feed:
Check out future webinar dates below:
Agenda
Posterboard 
Stream 
Month June 2013
Starting Tuesday, June 18th, our free online ROBOTC for VEX classes will begin for the Robotics Summer of Learning. The ROBOTC team will show you the best ways to get started using ROBOTC and answer your questions LIVE! The goals for these classes is to support you, our users, and help you earn a ROBOTC certification!
The classes and Q&A sessions will take place throughout the summer on WebEx every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am Eastern Time. The length of the class will be based on how many questions we need to answer. **Classes will be recorded and posted on the CS2N Robotics Summer of Learning course after each session.**
How to Sign Up:
1. Register for the Robotics Summer of Learning - Choose the VEX Robotics Summer of Learning Course and Sign-Up through CS2N.org!
2. Attend the WebEx Course - Join the ROBOTC for VEX WebEx course 30 minutes before the scheduled course begins:
VEX
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 11:00am EDT
If you would like to ask questions during the live class, make sure to have a USB headset. You can also submit your questions before and during each class through the ROBOTC forum or our social media sites.
Starting Monday June 17th, our free online ROBOTC for MINDSTORMS classes will begin for the Robotics Summer of Learning. The ROBOTC team will show you the best ways to get started using ROBOTC and answer your questions LIVE! The goals for these classes is to support you, our users, and help you earn a ROBOTC certification!
The classes and Q&A sessions will take place throughout the summer on WebEx every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12pm Eastern Time. The length of the class will be based on how many questions we need to answer. **Classes will be recorded and posted on the CS2N Robotics Summer of Learning course after each session.**
How to Sign Up:
1. Register for the Robotics Summer of Learning - Choose the LEGO Robotics Summer of Learning Course and Sign-Up through CS2N.org!
2. Attend the WebEx Course - Join the ROBOTC for MINDSTORMS WebEx course 30 minutes before the scheduled course begins:
LEGO
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 12:00pm EDT
If you would like to ask questions during the live class, make sure to have a USB headset. You can also submit your questions before and during each class through the ROBOTC forum or our social media sites.
Starting Monday June 17th, our free online ROBOTC for MINDSTORMS classes will begin for the Robotics Summer of Learning. The ROBOTC team will show you the best ways to get started using ROBOTC and answer your questions LIVE! The goals for these classes is to support you, our users, and help you earn a ROBOTC certification!
The classes and Q&A sessions will take place throughout the summer on WebEx every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12pm Eastern Time. The length of the class will be based on how many questions we need to answer. **Classes will be recorded and posted on the CS2N Robotics Summer of Learning course after each session.**
How to Sign Up:
1. Register for the Robotics Summer of Learning - Choose the LEGO Robotics Summer of Learning Course and Sign-Up through CS2N.org!
2. Attend the WebEx Course - Join the ROBOTC for MINDSTORMS WebEx course 30 minutes before the scheduled course begins:
LEGO
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 12:00pm EDT
If you would like to ask questions during the live class, make sure to have a USB headset. You can also submit your questions before and during each class through the ROBOTC forum or our social media sites.
Controlling Pneumatic Actuators in ROBOTC
Pneumatic Actuators translate the force of compressed air into fast and powerful motion. In the VEX Robotics System, all pneumatic actuators create linear (in-and-out) motion, although rotary actuators do exist. The compressed air that powers the actuators is stored in a reservoir tank; differences in air pressure between the actuators and tank cause the actuators to move in and out.
The flow of air between the tank and the actuators (directly related to the differences in air pressure) is controlled by a small switch, called an electromagnetic solenoid, which connects to the VEX PIC or Cortex using a standard 3-pin wire. It’s a common misconception that, since the solenoid enables motion, its 3-pin wire should plug into one of the MOTOR ports on the microcontroller. Actually, a solenoid is what’s considered a “Digital Output”, and should be plugged into one of the DIGITAL ports on the Cortex, or ANALOG/DIGITAL ports on the PIC.
To configure the solenoid in ROBOTC, go to the Motors and Sensors Setup menu, and select “Digital Out” as the sensor type.
Then, in ROBOTC, when you want to activate the pneumatic actuator controlled by the solenoid, you set its value equal to “1″. To deactivate it, set its value equal to “0″. In the sample code below, the remote control buttons are used to activate and deactivate the pneumatic actuator.
#pragma config(Sensor, dgtl7, solenoid, sensorDigitalOut)
//*!!Code automatically generated by ‘ROBOTC’ configuration wizard !!*//
task main()
{
while(true) // Loop Forever
{
if(vexRT[Btn6U] == 1) // If button 6U (upper right shoulder button) is pressed:
{
SensorValue[solenoid] = 1; // …activate the solenoid.
}
else // If button 6U (upper right shoulder button) is NOT pressed:
{
SensorValue[solenoid] = 0; // ..deactivate the solenoid.
}
}
}
For more information on using pneumatic actuators, check out our Pneumatics lesson from the VEX 2.0 Curriculum.
Traversing a Grand Challenge with the VEX Cortex
The Grand Challenge is a staff designed course which is not revealed to participants until the day of the competition. Before the competition, participants are provided with a list of conditions and situations to prepare their robots for.
On the day of the competition, the participant’s programming knowledge and preparation are put to the test as they work to traverse the course in a limited amount of time. The robot that makes the most progress without stalling out or deviating from the course wins!
In this iteration of the Grand Challenge, the Cortex-based robot must:
- Navigate an obstructed path using feedback from the Shaft Encoders and Ultrasonic Rangefinder
- Track an incomplete line up and down a ramp using feedback from the Line Tracking sensors
- (Optional) Pick up the yellow ball and take it to the finish zone for extra points
- Respond to remote-control commands only in the final zone
- Avoid hitting obstacles in it’s path, walls on the field, and falling from the ramp
Check out this cool video of the robot completing the course.
To accomplish it’s task, the Cortex-based robot is equipped with:
- Two driving motors, each with a Shaft Encoder
- An Omni-wheel acting as a rear-caster wheel
- Three Line Tracking Sensors
- An Ultrasonic Rangefinder
- Remote Control over VEXnet
Instructions for building this robot can be found here.
If you’d like ideas for creating your own Grand Challenge, check out this document for some inspiration.
Note: All materials are part of the VEX Cortex Video Trainer. Check it Out!
Robot Magazine Article: VEX Curriculum 2.0
Check out the VEX Curriculum 2.0 review, featured in ROBOT Magazine! Here’s an excerpt from the article:
“When I began clicking around the VEX Curriculum I was immediately impressed by both the scope and the quality of the materials. Whether you are a student, teacher, or a hobbyist eager to learn more about robotics you will find something there for you. At www.vexcurriculum.com I found a cornucopia of practical robotics exercises and presentations that are shown in user-friendly, inviting multi-media formats. The Curriculum is designed to meet academic standards for high school classes, but any curious person interested in robotics will enjoy perusing the site. Although the package is intended to sustain two semesters of study, it is voluminous. The teachers that I spoke to also use segments of the curriculum for multi-year robotics programs, to guide students through independent study robotics projects, and as a robotics library for students building robot projects.
Teachers that use the Carnegie Mellon Curriculum report that the lessons tend to build confidence and they make the users feel associated with Carnegie Mellon. In researching this article, I found that both educators and students express a sense of pride as they work through the materials, and in the process, succeed in learning to solve robotics problems and meet multidisciplinary intellectual challenges.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.botmag.com/articles/vexcurriculum.shtml
Preview the VEX Curriclum 2.0 here: http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/roboticscurriculum/vex_online/main_start.htm
