Programming and Robotics Course Outline

Session 1 Meet Robots  and Make a Vibrobot

Learning objectives:

• to understand that robots are digital devices that have inputs, outputs and follow programs
  
• to be able to locate the inputs and outputs of a robot and describe a program it follows
  
• to understand the badges
  

Activities:

• Robots we know of... do children have any at home? What do they do and how do children think they work?
• Children contruct Vibrobots 
• Explore whether these are real robots since they don't have inputs or follow a program. 
• Observe and compare robots including Hexbug Nano, Hexbug crab, Doodle Track car, Thymio and identify inputs, outputs and programs for each.

Extended Learning:

• Bring in a picture or a sketch of a robot you have at home or from a book or film. What do you know about it? Can you find its inputs and outputs and describe its program?
  

Session 2 Bug, Bugs and Debugging

Learning objectives:

• to be able to write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals including controlling physical systems
• to learn about outputs and controllers
  
• to use sequence, repetition and events in programs

Activities:

• Discuss pictures of robots children have brought in from home
• Children write programs to make a motor perform a sequence of movements in response to keyboard events. 
• Children add loops and repeats
  

• Children debug problems in prepared Scratch files. eg. I want my arm to wave 10 times but it only does it once. My arm keeps going around in the same direction I want it to go backwards and forwards etc.

• Using Lego Wedo children construct robot bugs with a moving part that responds in different ways to keyboard events

Extended Learning:

• Draw a picture of a robot bug and label its effectors and sensors. Describe what it would be able to do.

Session 3 Alligator

Learning objectives:

• I can construct a robot by following instructions
  
• I understand 'if-then' and 'forever if-then' conditionals and how they can be used to cause a sensor to trigger a sequence

Activities:

• Introduce the idea of a conditional, using the ball sorting activity and using Scratch
  
• Children construct an alligator robot following instructions
  
• Children write programs to make their robots sense and respond 
  
• Extension challenges: random behaviour, speech

Extended learning:

• Download Scratch onto your home computer and create something with it that you can share

Session 4 Team Challenge Football

Learning objectives:

• To understand the challenges involved in making a robot footballer
• To reinforce understanding of conditionals
  
• To understand that robots can work together as part of larger systems
  

Activities

• In groups of 6 children construct either striker, goalie or spectator and program them so that the football is kicked when the ball is placed near the striker, the goalie counts the score, the spectators cheer when the goal goes in and boo if it doesn't.
• Reflect on future development of robots drawing on historic perpective

Session 5 The robotic hand

Learning objectives:

• I can construct a robot hand using carboard, string and tape
• I can design a robot actuator to move it 
• I can write a program that causes the hand to move in response to a sensor
• I can use decomposition to build a complex system by assembling parts
  
• I can create a simulation of physical system -in this case a robot surgeon
  
• I understand how to use pulleys, gears, cams and rack and pinion devices

Activities

•  Investigate robot hands and methods of moving them
  
• Construct a robot hand using card, string, straws and tape
• Design and construct a robot actuator using Lego Wedo
• Write a program to control the actuator
• Create a film of all the hands moving together possibly to music.

Session 6 Artificial Intelligence

Learning objectives:

• I understand what artificial intelligence is and what is possible now
• I understand what a Turin test is and how it can be used

Activities

• Design and program a chatbot using Scratch
  
• Write and illustrate what you think robots will be able to do 30 years in the future
  

Session 7 Project
Options: 

• robot eye
• vending machine 
  
• Rube Goldberg machine 
  
• space sensing robot 
  
• animal feeding robot 
  

Badges awarded