INTRO AND LEARNING GOALS

Here is a great lesson to get started with Mindstorms EV3. We will build and program a robot in a very short time!

• Create a Robot Build in about three minutes – and learn about key LEGO pieces (ones we love!)
• Use LEGO Education Mindstorms software
• Create a program using the programming blocks to drive your robot forwards and backwards
• Explore what your robot can do!

LET’S DO A REALLY QUICK BUILD…

In the video Colin does a really quick build with LEGO Mindstorms EV3. This build allows you to get up and running quickly and to get focused on programming, while also giving you a great basis on which to develop your robot. It is not perfect (quite flimsy in places!) but it is a great starting point. Let’s get building…

LET’S GET PROGRAMMING…

We are about to create a program to get our robot moving. There are two videos to explain this depending on whether you are using the desktop or tablet version.

SOME TEACHING THOUGHTS… from John

• Encourage(!) your robot builders to plug the two motors in to Ports B and C. This is where the software defaults to and it will make your life easier when trying to cure a broken robot!
• Make sure that the cables ‘click’ into place. Listen for that ‘click’.
• If a robot goes forwards rather than backwards – why not simply turn the robot to face the other way!?
• Rubbing wheels! When the wheel(s) rub against the motor(s) they can make the robot veer off. Ease the wheels away from the motor (there is also a ‘bushing’ you can put on the inside of the wheel to keep them apart). (PS. This is what a ‘bushing’ looks like: )

ROBOT WORKOUT (WHERE NEXT?)

• Why not set up a ‘start’ and ‘finish’ line a set distance apart – who can get a robot to finish on the line – how did they work it out?
• Get the robots racing – there and back! Boomerang robots!
• Do experiments using ‘Rotations’ and ‘Time’ – using varied power with each one. What conclusions can you draw?
• Make physical changes to the robot. Make one change at a time so that you can see the impact of the change! These might be different sized wheels, making a more sturdy robot, etc
• Everyone loves to make one motor go in one direction and the other go in the other (for example Motor B at 100 and Motor C at -100). Try it and see what happens!

GREAT SUPPORT FROM LEGO EDUCATION

DESKTOP: From the LOBBY (the starting page) go to ROBOT EDUCATOR and choose STRAIGHT MOVE. This is another way to move your robot. The sample program shows how you can move it for Rotations, Degrees and Seconds. Try it! Which BLOCK do you prefer to use – the MOVE TANK or STEERING! We prefer the MOVE TANK but the great thing about robotics is there are many different solutions to problems!