ParcCourse

In 2010, some Palo Alto parents formed a club to help kids learn about FLL, robotics, programming, science, and teamwork.  This is the first year's proposed course.

 

 

Purpose

To help our kids get ready for the 2010 FLL competition.  They should learn how to:

• Work in teams
• Construct Lego Robots
• Program Lego Robots (initially NXT-G, possibly other languages later)
• Design Robots that solve problems
• Document their designs and decisions
• Present their work to others
• Do science projects 

 

 

Principles

The core principles for creating the course are:

• Use What Is Available -- There are already good resources out on the web and in print
• Incremental Fun and Achievement -- Make it so every session kids are achieving something... 
• There will be homework -- Between meetings, it is expected that kids and parents will do things to get better.  Might be reading a book, viewing some video, building a kind of bot
• Multi-track -- If you see the list at the top, there are many tracks to cover
• Know what is coming -- Make sure people know what is ahead
• Demo or Die -- All kids should be focused on doing... making a result happen or failing... so they get used to it and work through it
• There will be different speeds -- This is a club with varying ages and experience, so kids must be able to go different speeds and also work with different levels.  Missions should allow basic and advanced variations.

 

 

Approach

The core approach is to use two books, one online introduction (robotics teacher at private school), supplemented by other materials

• First LEGO League -- http://www.amazon.com/First-LEGO-League-Unofficial-Guide/dp/1593271859/
• Inventors Guide -- http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-LEGO-MINDSTORMS-Inventors-Guide/dp/1593271549/
• NXT_Tutorial -- http://webclass.superquest.net/sboost/tutorials/NXT_Tutorial/index.html
• Maybes
• • FLL Programming 101 [PDF reads a bit 'faster' than above] -- LegoResources
  • LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming Guide [] 

 

Session

Sessions are meetings of the club or desired progress at some point 

 

 

Session-1

Session-1 is focussed on:

• Explaining about FLL and Robotics -- In as concrete a way as possible (videos, examples, etc)
• Describing the club and what people need to learn 
• Overview of Available Resources (Wiki, Email, Blog, Robots, Table, Camera, etc.)
• Doing a fun/simple FLL-like task
• • Robot Activity #1  [See Below]
  • Team Activity #1   [See Below]

 

See the meeting itself at: ParcMeeting20100321 

 

Session-2

Session-2 is focussed on:

• More FLL intro [if useful]
• Detailed work for Available Resources (Wiki, Email, Blog, Robots, Table, Camera, etc.)
• Doing a fun/simple FLL-like task
• • Robot Activity #2 & #3  [See Below]
  • Team Activity #2   [See Below]

 

The meeting for this would be in early April (11th)

 

 

Multi-Session Syllabus

This syllabus is the roadmap for the first part of the whole course.  It is likely to be broken up among several sessions, although some

 

• Robot Club 
• • Purpose: Learn about Robots, Build Cool & Useful Robots, Have Fun, Produce an FLL team
  • Values: FLL "Gracious Professionalism" / Other
  • • Gracious Professionalism encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. Fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Children learn and compete like crazy, but must treat one another with respect and kindness in the process.
  • Adults / Coaches: Inspirations and Supporters, not Doers
  • Resources -- See resources here, other topics, continued accumulation

 

• What is FLL? -- Dean Kaman (Segway, iBot, insulin pump)
• • Robot Game --  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbaDeBTTK8 ,

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHIsL4A4LRw

  • Technical Interview
  • Science Project --  http://www.youtube.com/user/clawsrobotics#p/a/u/1/ARFDWCI7avI ,

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxLi83BnhmY ,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjLd1fE-8Iw 

  • Other Levels --
  • • FTC  (http://www.youtube.com/user/FIRSTWorldTube#p/c/7DF35335DBF2FB97/0/RBHtQPWjQsM) 
    • FRC
• How does FLL Work?
• • Robot Game
  • • Field Mat  -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g-V8pBVzpg
    • Mission Models
    • Game Rules
    • 2009 Winners --  NorCal 2009 Results 
    • Examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbaDeBTTK8 ,

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YLj4lm490E,  

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3472RyQ40zU , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDXSwUv10TQ ,

  •  Project
  • • Research, Present, Share -- http://www.youtube.com/user/clawsrobotics#p/a/u/1/ARFDWCI7avI 
  • Teams
  • • 2-10 
    • Structure: Mission Oriented, Robot + Program + Lead
    • Parents / Coaches

 

Robot Activities

These are activities that can be done over multiple sessions.  One or two could be done in each session.

 

Note that usually the later missions are harder and do not _need_ to be done as part of the activity for it to have a good closure point.  But it would be good to get to the Mission#3 level at some point soon after [say as homework and demo the next meeting].

 

Robot Activity #1

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Build a Good Base Mobile Robot (Tribot, Tank-bot [nxt2.0], etc.)
• • If Needed, Suggestions -- http://www.nxtprograms.com/NXT2/castor_bot/index.html , http://www.nxtprograms.com/NXT2/3-motor_chassis/steps.html , http://www.nxtprograms.com/NXT2/five_minute_bot/
• Mission #1 -- Make it cross a table (say 4-feet or 6-feet) and return to its starting position
• Mission #2 -- Cross the table, turn-around, and return to base
• Mission #3a -- "Patrol" the table.  Go back and forth until a sensor [your choice] detects something.  Stop patrolling and raise alarm.
• Mission #3b -- "Patrol" the table -- go around in a square.  If detect, raise alarm for 10 seconds.  Continue patrolling (from where left off).
• Mission #3c -- Add some kind of shooter.  Raise alarm and shoot

 

Robot Activity #2

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Document your (or another's) robot from activity #1 (picture, drawings, whatever)
• Wiki or Blog about it
• Present it to the whole team

 

Robot Activity #3

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Build a good base mobile robot (could be the previous one)
• Add a grabber of some kind:
• • If Needed, Suggestions --
  • http://www.nxtprograms.com/claw_car/steps.html
  • http://www.nxtprograms.com/NXT2/claw_striker/index.html
• Mission #1 -- Set up a course that includes: (a) traveling from a base, (b) grabbing a target [suited to your grabber], (c) returning to base with the target.  Then program and run the course
• Mission #2 -- Have someone else create a course for you [suited to your grabber], then program and run the course
• Mission #3a -- Add a sensor to your robot.  Then create a course where distance to target is not fully determined [target can be moved as much as 3 inches forward/back along straight line].  Program and run the course.
• Mission #3b -- Add a line tracker as part of the robot and as part of the course.  Target is still not fully determined but can be on the line or relative to the end of the line.

 

Robot Activity #4

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Document _another_ team's robot from activity #3
• Wiki or Blog about it, including a PDF of the program itself.  Make sure the code and design is in Git.
• Present it to the whole team

 

Robot Activity #5

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Build a good base mobile robot (could be the previous one) 
• Add a 'Bay' or otherwise customizable attachment points
• • A motorized bay is pretty complicated but cool
  • A non-motorized bay is fine, just make sure one of the 'grabbers' doesn't need a motor, or you have two motors available to swap them 
• Create two _different_ kinds of grabbers and have them be connectible to the 'Bay'
• Mission #1 -- Create a course with two targets that can each be grabbed by one kind of grabber.   Run two trips to grab the target and return to base each time.  Total time for both trips needs to be 60 seconds at most.
• Mission #2 -- Have someone else create a course for you  [suited to your grabbers], then program and run the course as two trips in < 60 seconds.
• Document Your Design

 

Robot Activity #6

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Build a good base mobile robot (could be the previous one) 
• Mission #1 -- Follow a line 
• Mission #2 -- Move exactly one lap around an oval [Black 2cm line on white paper]
• Mission #3 -- Move exactly one lap around an oval, turn around, and return to start
• Document Your Design

 

Robot Activity  #7

• Break into pairs or triplets
• Pick another team's designs from either #6 or #7
• Build it and do the missions
• Document any missing aspects (things you figured out)
• Document any suggested improvements
• Discuss in team 

 

 

FLL Team Activities

 

Team Activity #1

• Done Altogether
• Describe Why You Like Robots (1 minute or less)
• Describe one of your favorite robots or robot-like entity
• Look through the 2009 FLL names (or any others you know) and pick one or more names you like
• Describe a favorite colour
• Describe another kind of mascot you think is neat  (e.g. Unipegs)
• Propose 1 or more team names or team-name ideas
• Someone write it all down on the Wiki at ParcTeamNames

 

 

Team Activity #2

 

 

FLL Research Project Activities

 

 

 

Instructional Tracks

• Building Techniques
• • Chassis, Attachments, and Bays
  • Sensors
  • Strength, Maneuverability 
• Programming Techniques
• • Language Choices
  • • NXT-G, LeJos, RobotC
  • Language Techniques (General, Robot, NXT-G)
• Research Project Techniques
• • Research
  • Presentation
• Team and Documentation Techniques
• • Email, Scheduling, Meeting Agenda, Meeting Notes
  • Wiki, Blog, Git, Facebook, etc.
  • Cameras, Videos, PDF, CAD, YouTube, etc. 
  • De/Composition Techniques, Code Documentation

 

FLL Team Aspects

• Name
• Shirts
• Logo
• Fund Raising
• Team Infrastructure 

 

 

Feedback

If you have feedback, either list it here or put it inline with your initials in square-brackets (e.g. [MLF] Why use 'LeJos' vs. others? )