WEEK 2 CHALLENGE: To program our robot to follow a black line edge while navigating an obstacle course. Our course included twists and turns, a hill, speed bumps, a ramp and a gate.
Mathematical concepts put into action this week:
- Reviewed number line: + numbers to the right of zero and – numbers to the left of zero
- Reminder about use of loops in programming
- Introduced switch (or decision) block to help the robot make decisions about direction
FROM THE BOYS
The Robotics program has just begun and we are experimenting with how to program our LEGO EV3 robots. We have now taught the robots to follow a black line and everyone has enjoyed it. The problem is that some of us are having troubles with a silver dot and a ramp that teeters up and down. There were also some bumps that didn’t allow a ball bearing to go over the bumps.
Sometimes there were some technical issues that wouldn’t allow the robot to turn around the corners so we modified the robots and built extra pieces that would allow us to go around the corners and prevent the difficulties from happening. The two biggest difficulties were the silver dot and the sharp turns.
At the end of the session everyone was taught how to get over the silver dot and how to use the reflected light program. Afterwards we could go over the silver dot and next week they will teach us how to follow edges. The challenge will be how to get over an oil spill.
by Ryan Hu and Mitch Laurie, Year 4
