Class 3 Results

Today's class went well.  I tried out some new extra material, in which I discussed robots from my own professional perspective, which is space robotics.  I talked about the generations of robotic manipulators present in the Space Shuttle and Space Station programs, and I showed some pictures.  If I hadn't rambled on so long, I would have shown a few minutes of video, but timing wouldn't permit.

The class material and the lab were just about right in level of difficulty.  The class teams completed the exercise in about ten minutes each.  I noted that a MyBlock and a program need to have different names, and there's a possibility of tangling things up if they have the same name.

I have heard some interest in having a follow-on course (RfG II), and more questions about when the course would be taught again.  We'll have to see how this one goes before I try to design another course.  Susanne says that if I teach a second course, I'll need to get another robot kit to support it.  We'll have to see about that.  I'm not sure what material I would cover in a second course.

RFG Week 3

In tomorrow's Robotics for Grandparents class, I will introduce some new concepts:

• Control structures
• Loops
• Branches
• Subprograms
• MyBlocks

If time permits, I will talk about the robots used on the Space Shuttle and Space Station.

All together now!

This afternoon I reinstalled the NXT 1.0 software on the two laptops.
I then renamed all 4 NXT bricks to TPO-1, TPO-1, EP-1, EP-2.
I downloaded new firmware 1.05 to all 4 NXT bricks.
I set the sound and light sensor calibration to default on all 4 NXT bricks.
I tested each brick to see if it worked properly with the sound sensor.

I think all is well now....

I would like to upgrade the laptops and the ALIR desktop to NXT 1.1, but I can't locate the installation CD.
LEGO no longer sells the NXT 1.1 CD.  Boo.  Maybe I can find someone to loan me the NXT 1.1 CD.

Spring Semester 2010

Some people have asked if I plan to offer the Robotics for Grandparents class next semester (Spring 2010).
The answer is no.  If there is interest, I will offer the class again in Fall 2010.

It's likely that the class will continue in the six-week format, which I think is about right for an introductory class.  I expect to revise the material based on what we can accomplish this semester.

Why not offer the class in the Spring?  Susanne and I have plans to travel during part of that time, and it wouldn't be fair to interrupt the class.

Next lesson (Week 2)

On Wednesday, September 23, the Robotics for Grandparents lesson will consist of two parts:

1. Turning the robot, continued. More detail on ways to make controlled turns.
2. Clap On, Clap Off. Discussion of sensors and how to make the computer correctly interpret data from the sensors (was that a handclap I heard?).

First class meeting is a success!

Today the Robotics for Grandparents class met for the first time. As expected, there were a lot of people, and the resources (PCs and robots) were stretched pretty thin.

Before class, I had a near panic when the "Baby laptop", an Aspire One with a 10.1 inch display, would not install the NXT software. The reason given was that the resolution of the display was insufficient. So my fallback was to use the Art Room computer for the third robot. When I installed the software on my new HP laptop, I got some odd results. Windows Vista (insert your favorite cusswords here) reported that the NXT software was not certified for Vista. I continued installation. When it came time to test the USB connection, all the USB ports were inactive. It turned out that was because Vista was attempting to update to Service Pack 2, which apparently disables some of the external interfaces. Anyhow, I stopped the SP2 update and rebooted the computer, at which time the USB ports came back. Panic over. When I arrived at ALIR, I realized that I didn't have the CD with class material on it. Not to worry, the older laptop had everything on it, so I copied the class material to a USB drive and took it to the Art Room computer. Waverly Jones of the Education Center staff had installed the NXT on the Art Room computer, as promised (thanks!).

As I said, there were lots of people who came to the class. I started by going through the Intro to Robotics presentation from Carnegie Mellon, which gave the class a good introduction to what we are going to do. Next, I gave a little demonstration of the NXT program editor and downloader.

Then it was time for the class assignment. The class problem required the robot to move straight ahead exactly 13.5 inches. The class members organized themselves into three groups (I expect those groups to be somewhat fluid). They worked together well, and came to (nearly) the same conclusion in about the same amount of time. Once a team had demonstrated their solution to the problem, I gave them an add-on: make the robot turn 180 degrees after stopping. The solutions for the turn varied somewhat, depending on how they did the turn.

By the time the teams had achieved the turn, it was time to wrap up the class.

I think the first class went very well. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the three teams, and the cooperation among team members was great.