Session Length: 50-60 minutes
Learning Style: Autonomous exploration, gradual coding mastery
Key Learnings (Sessions 1-10):
- Session 1-2: Introduction to Arduino-based coding; basic structure and syntax.
- Session 3-4: Programming autonomous movements using simple sensor input.
- Session 5-6: Using multiple sensors to navigate complex environments.
- Session 7-8: Working with actuators (dumping, moving objects) to perform tasks.
- Session 9-10: Problem-solving: design a robot that interacts with its environment (e.g., obstacle detection, object movement).
Equipment Needed: Robotics kit, Arduino IDE, USB/OTG cables, laptop, stepper motor, sensors.
Course Breakdown
1. Meet Your Robot: Mapping Moves
Students will upload basic code to make the bot move in different directions (forward, backward, rotate). The goal is to help them understand how the robot’s motion corresponds to the code and the real-world outcomes. They’ll focus on experimenting with timing and movement distances.
2. Turning Corners: Geometry in Motion
In this lesson, students will learn how to program the robot to make precise turns, combining basic geometry concepts (angles) with code. They’ll learn about degrees of rotation and experiment with making the bot turn specific angles.
3. Coding the Bot’s Brain
In this session, students will begin writing simple code that uses variables to adjust the robot’s speed and rotation. They’ll experiment with different speeds and observe how this impacts the robot’s ability to maneuver on different terrains.
4. Line Tracking 101
Students will write their first simple line-following algorithm. They’ll be introduced to using the line sensor and develop an understanding of conditional logic. The bot will move along a straight black line, and students will test and adjust the code.
5. Obstacle Detective: Avoiding Barriers
Using the proximity sensor, students will program the bot to stop or rotate when an obstacle is detected. This introduces the concept of real-time feedback and decision-making based on sensor data.
6. Follow the Path: Advanced Line Tracking
Students will improve their line-following algorithm to handle curves and junctions. They’ll learn how to modify their logic to make the bot choose different paths at a junction or make smoother turns.
7. Loop Logic: Programming Patterns in Motion
This session introduces the concept of For Loops, allowing students to program the bot to repeat actions efficiently. They’ll learn how to use a for loop to control the number of repetitions for movement patterns, turning angles, or display messages. By integrating previous knowledge of movement, angles, and conditionals, students will see how loops make coding more efficient and allow for more complex, repetitive tasks.
8. Autonomous Delivery: Using the Dumper
In this session, students will code the bot to autonomously move to a specific location, pick up an object using the dumper, and deliver it to a designated spot. This builds on their work with sensors and movement logic, introducing task sequencing.
9. Bot Communication: Cooperative Tasks
Students will program two bots to communicate and collaborate. For example, one bot will carry an object using the dumper, while the other bot follows or waits for instructions. This introduces inter-robot communication and synchronizing tasks.
10. Treasure Hunt Challenge – Bringing it All Together
In this final session, students will put together everything they’ve learned in a Treasure Hunt Challenge. Their bots will navigate a marked grid, detect treasures, log points, and avoid collisions using sensors, loops, conditionals, and remote notifications. This activity wraps up core concepts in a fun, competitive task, emphasizing real-time problem-solving and teamwork…