Control Projects (Robots)

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Students use computers to control many different devices in the Technology Lab 2000™. Legos™, Lasy™, Ramagon™, and Fischertechnik™ are used to build different motorized and non-motorized models. These models can then be controlled with programs on various computers in the room.
These two pictures are examples of the Fischertechnik™ 3-Axis Robots that students in the lab build and control. They use a HyperCard™ stack to teach the robots commands, and then the robot will carry out those commands when requested.
	This picture to the left is of a seismograph. The students built a seismograph from Fischertechnik™ parts and put on sensors from a Macintosh interface called Sensor Net™. When the box is shaken by the Pneumatic cylinder to the left, the sensor picks up the intensity of the quake and graphs it in real time on the computer. Students can get a first hand example of how quakes are monitored.
Two eighth grade students created this elevator by going through the activity on Controlling Fischer Models. The elevator will stop at whatever floor you hit the button for and you can also call the elevator to a certain floor with an interactive Hypercard™ stack designed to control the motors movements. Students create their own robotic arm when they complete some preliminary lessons, such as traffic light, and an elevator this teaches the students about controlling their machines. An example of a one-axis, magnetic arm robot is shown in the pictures below. This robot will rotate around and pick up or put down the metal disks when programmed. You can also teach the robot to do a task over and over. The student on the left is doing a manual control of a buggy made from Legos™. The Lego™ robot dinosaur (right) is used as a practice robot for learning to write scripts in Logo™. It walks, makes sound, and flashes a light when programmed properly.
When the students get to eighth grade they learn to use an interface to control Hector's Head below. This project uses photo sensors and switches to teach the concepts of input, output, sense, decide , and act. The interface is called the Multitechnic™ and is run with a HyperCard™ stack on the computer. The students progress from a manual control to a fully automated system (without human input).

• The official Lego Site
• Fischertechnik home page by Model A Technology
• Lasy - Lasy products and Information.
• Acculab - The makers of Sensornet™
• Creative Learning Systems - The originator of the Multitechnic Interface for all systems.
• Robot Information Central - Your source for robot information on the Internet