Robotics with Lego Mindstorms



The following is a Curriculum Spreadsheet format commonly taught to teachers as a way to organize the delivery of information and activities to students. Please note the column headings:

Topic

Activity

Supplies Needed

Approximate Time needed

Worksheets

These column headings are critical to understanding the matrix presented.

This Curriculum Spreadsheet is for teaching with the LEGO Mindstorms kit and the RCX

Note: This same sequence can be used for NXT with only slight modification. The NXT tutorials follow the same logical development of skills in programming as the RCX tutorials. The following sequence was based on Team Challenge kits and the RCX. If NXT is used some topics may require less time and some challenges can become more complex with a simple variation added. An example would be in the Can Do Challenge to have the students use the ultrasonic sensor and require them to find the cans rather than just randomly push them out. I suggest that you award students extra points for their ideas on how to modify the challenge for the NXT. Of course they need to demonstrate a solution to their modification.

|Topic |Activity |Supplies Needed |Approx |Work-sheet |

| | | |Time in Min. | |

|Introduction to the Lego |Show the Kit and Identify some major |Mindstorms or Team Challenge |5 to 10 | |

|Mindstorms System |pieces |Kit | | |

|Inventory |Have students inventory the kit so that |Inventory Sheets |About 30-40 |Inventory |

| |all pieces are present or a list of parts| |min. per | |

| |needed is created |Order missing parts |inventory | |

| | |Pitsco or Bricklink | | |

|Build your first Robot and learn|Build Rover Bot using the Rover Bot |Sets of Color building |50 | |

|about naming parts |building instruction sheets. Note that |instruction sheets or CD or | | |

| |the parts names are on the instruction |web based | | |

| |sheets. |instructions | | |

|Construction with Legos |Explain the way Rover Bot was designed |Rover Bot |7 | |

|Mechanical issues like friction,|Demonstrate how LEGO’s are assembled, how|Rover Bot and various LEGO |20 | |

|gears aligned, power transfer, |axles are joined, the front and back of |parts | | |

|motors running at different |tires, friction points, how to make | | | |

|rates, wheels falling off, etc. |adjustments in friction, etc. | | | |

|The concept of robust design |Show designs that hold together and |Various LEGO parts |8 | |

| |designs that fall apart | | | |

|Basic RCX introduction – install|How to install batteries and reset the | | | |

|batteries and use built in |RCX | | | |

|programs | | | | |

|Program 1 – Control Motors |Hooking up wires, forward and reverse, | | | |

| |turning on Motors | | | |

|Program 2 – Motor on/off with | | | | |

|touch sensor controls | | | | |

|Program 3 – Using a light sensor| | | | |

|to control a motor | | | | |

|Introduction to the RCX |Watch the RoboLab Tutorial –Essentials – |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |10 | |

| |RCX Introduction |Yocum | | |

|Note: You may need to explain | | | | |

|how to download firmware by | | | | |

|using the administrator part of | | | | |

|RoboLab | | | | |

|RoboLab Windows |Robolab Tutorial |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |20 | |

| | |Yocum | | |

|Basic Programming |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |25 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Turning |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |30 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Program Rover Bot to go forward | | | | |

|1 second and then wait one | | | | |

|second. | | | | |

|Program Rover Bot to go forward | | | | |

|one second then turn left 90 | | | | |

|degrees and go forward one | | | | |

|second | | | | |

|Program Rover Bot to go straight|Discuss friction and motor power level | | | |

|forward two seconds |issues | | | |

|Program Rover Bot to move in a |Motor power level | | | |

|curve radius motion. | | | | |

|Jumps and Loops |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |40 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Program Rover Bot to move in a | | | | |

|series of four 90-degree turns | | | | |

|to create a square. Try to end | | | | |

|up where you started. | | | | |

|Modifiers |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |25 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Touch Sensors |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |20 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Program Rover Bot to detect a |Teach how to create a touch sensor system|Constructapedia | | |

|wall and reverse direction | | | | |

|Light Sensors |Robolab Tutorial and do the activity at |RoboLab Tutorial by Dale |35 | |

| |the end of the lesson |Yocum | | |

|Note: Light sensors can be | |Manuals about RoboLab | | |

|difficult to use initially. It | | | | |

|is very important to use the | |Students may need to review | | |

|“Help” function and turn on | |the light sensor information | | |

|“show help” so the student can | |using show help in RoboLab or| | |

|read specifics about the light | |by watching the RoboLab | | |

|sensor icon. We suggest you use| |Tutorial or by reading in the| | |

|the “Wait for Dark” icon in | |manuals. | | |

|Inventor 4. Do not confuse this| | | | |

|with the “Wait for Darker” icon.| |Explain: | | |

|Be sure students understand View| |-View on the RCX | | |

|on the RCX | |-The light sensor has to be | | |

| | |on to work | | |

| | |-timing of how often the | | |

| | |sensor samples | | |

| | |-how it works on reflection | | |

| | |of light | | |

| | |-how to set up a wait so it | | |

| | |does not trigger so fast that| | |

| | |the robot vibrates | | |

| | |-how to trigger on the edge | | |

| | |of a line (rather than on the| | |

| | |wide electric tape | | |

|Moving between two black lines |Inventor 4 |White board with two parallel|90 | |

| | |black lines 12 inches apart | | |

|Gears Activity |Students build various gear arrangements |Gears kits or Gears from |100 |Gears Worksheet |

| |and write observations |their kit. | | |

|Build your own Robot |Students are welcome to create their own |Various constructapedias and |120 | |

| |robot for the following challenges |the Internet | | |

| | | | | |

| | |Note: You may want to have a| | |

| | |student sharing time where | | |

| | |they share their designs and | | |

| | |explain them. | | |

|Incline Plane |Incline Plane Challenge using the handout|Approx. 18 inch wide white |90 |Incline Plane |

| |rules. We suggest using Inventor 4 and |board at an angle with black | |Challenge |

| |the Wait for Dark icon. |lines approx. 15 inches apart| | |

|Robust Design – How to build a |Teacher demonstrates how to attach Lego |Various Lego’s all available |15 | |

|robot so it does not fall apart |pieces with pins, hole line up, |in a spare kit. | | |

| |difference in friction pin (black) and | | | |

| |rotating pin (gray) | | | |

|Students create a robust design |Worksheet for this activity (worksheet | |25 | |

| |needs to be created- identify some | | | |

| |challenge) | | | |

|Note: Individual Challenges – | | | | |

|Students have now created their | | | | |

|own robot and are working in | | | | |

|teams. Sometimes a team member | | | | |

|is absent. We suggest providing| | | | |

|the following two individual | | | | |

|challenges: | | | | |

|Robot Control |Robot Control Individual Challenge |Individual Challenge |60 |Robot Control |

| |handout |classroom robots | |Challenge |

|Forks and Jumps – give a brief |Students should view the RoboLab Tutorial|RoboLab Tutorial by Dale | | |

|review explanation |for more advanced RoboLab features |Yocum | | |

|Line Follower |Line Follower Individual Challenge |Individual Challenge |75 |Line Follower |

| |handout. |classroom robots | |Challenge |

| |Note: This can be done with two light | | | |

| |sensors or with one light sensor - You | | | |

| |can give credit for each method or for | | | |

| |either method | | | |

|Can Do Challenge |Can Do Challenge Rules sheet |Approx. 4 foot by 4 foot |120 |Can Do Challenge |

| | |white board with a 3 foot | | |

| | |diameter circle | | |

|Commenting your code |Teacher demonstrates how to comment the |RoboLab software on a |15 | |

|presentation |program |computer with a video | | |

| |( A worksheet for students to write on |projector | | |

| |and turn in would be good) | | | |

|Friction issues presentation |Teacher talks about friction issues and |Demo how to counterbalance a |20 | |

| |getting robots to go straight. Also |dry erase pen so it exerts | | |

| |explain variations in motors and the |the smallest amount of | | |

| |effect of a dry erase marker dragging on |pressure (like a phono arm) | | |

| |the white board | | | |

|Repetitive L |Repetitive L Challenge worksheet. Build |Approx. 4 foot by 4 foot |90 |Repetitive L |

| |your own Robot. The robot should be able|white board | |Challenge |

| |to do the repetitive L 7 out of 10 times.| | | |

|Mechanical Parts Demonstration |Teacher demonstrates chain, cam, friction|Parts for demonstration |30 |Gears video on the|

| |clutch, worm gear, differential, gear | | |website |

| |teeth mess issues, axle bending due to |Constructapedia from the Team| | |

| |lack of support, rack and pinion, using |Challenge Set with building | | |

| |universal joiners, flex tube joiners, |information for various | | |

| | |sensors, etc. | | |

|Continuous Square Challenge |Draw a Square three times worksheet. |Approx. 4 foot by 4 foot |90 |Three Squares |

| | |white board | |Challenge |

|FLL Challenges – Use FLL | and then link to the FLL |4 foot by 8 foot FLL |Each |FLL scoring sheets|

|Competition Tables |challenges from former years and get the |competition table – ORTOP can|challenge | |

| |rules and scoring guides. Generally |loan you past years |board needs | |

| |there is an archives section at the ORTOP|challenges |about 3 weeks| |

| |web site that has rules and other details| |of 70 minute | |

| |for a table set from a prior year | |classes or | |

| | | |about 1000 | |

| | | |minutes of | |

| | | |work time (~ | |

| | | |17 hours) | |

|NQC programming |NQC Tutorial |The software is free from the|About 30 | |

| | |web |hours of | |

| | | |study and | |

| | | |practice time| |

| | | |for basic | |

| | | |command of | |

| | | |the software | |

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