Day 1
- Introductions
- Mechanical robot construction
- Electrical connections
- Installation of programming environment
- Batteries – charging, handling and installation
- Installing development environment
- Basics of C programming and interfacing with hardware
- Simple variables & math
- If statements
- Loops
- Controlling buzzer
- Measuring voltage – use to know when to charge the battery
Day 2
- Locomotion – how to move the robot
- Develop small programs for small moves
- Locomotion with feedback – using the encoders
- Controlling velocity
- How to move along rectangular paths
- How to move along circular paths
- Attempting to move along a specific path
- Small ‘competition’ – who can get to the end point along shape better
- Install and test whiskers
- Use whiskers to avoid hitting things
- Sense and back-off
Day 3
- Using IR sensors
- Back off table corners
- Install sonar and servo
- Discuss sonar principles
- Code to measuring distance using sonar
- Code to sweep sonar
- Automating sonar sweep
- Roaming using sonar to avoid obstacles
- Phase 1 – Stop when detecting an obstacle
- Phase 2 – Stop, backup and turn
- Phase 3 – Stop, backup and turn a random amount
- Multi-robot roaming – avoid collision with other robots
Day 4
- Install downward-looking IR sensors
- Principles of operation
- Reading the IR sensors
- Develop program to follow line on the floor
- Enhance program to detect T intersections
- Detect dead-end and make U-turns
Day 5
- Maze solving (ready program)
- Use sonar to slow down while following line – no T’s
- Find the object in a maze
- Mind controlling a robot
- Open time - Parent demonstrations