Microsoft
Innovative Teacher, software designer, scientist and digital technology
expert Michael Fenton shares ideas to support students, parents and
teachers engage with the new Digital Technologies curriculum.
On this page, building a robot forthe Sumo battle or Maze solving
competitions.
Entry guidelines and construction ideas for
2018
Robotics
competition rules - Sumo battle OR Maze race (Rescue the Robinsons Lost in Space!)
Construction ideas #1 -
Primary / Intermediate students; using Edison V2 lego compatible robots
Construction
ideas #2 - Arduino and PICAXE robots for advanced or Secondary
students
Parts guide - motors, controllers and programming code examples with downloads and links to suppliers
There are two classes based on size; MiniBots and MegaBots
MiniBots: shall not be larger, either in length or in width, than 10 centimetres. Mass (with batteries) 500 grams maximum.
MegaBots: shall not be larger, either in length or in width, than 20 centimetres. Mass (with batteries) 3 kg. maximum.
All robots need to be checked in at the La Mer Lounge by 9.15 am on
Tuesday 7th August. No more than 2 students in a group entry to attend
on the day.
Solve a
maze:
The new Lost in Space series
on Netflix is the inspiration for a "Rescue the Robinsons" maze
competition.
This entry involves a scratch-built robot, the purchase of a kit to
assemble, or the purchase of a ready-made pre-assembled robot.
The robot MUST be autonomous...self-contained with NO remote control
permitted.
YOUR MISSION: The
Robinson family is lost in space, stranded on a
strange new planet after their spaceship, the Jupiter 2, has
crash-landed. Two of the children, Will and Penny Robinson, have gone
out to survey the crash site, but have not returned.
Sumo robot competitions have been
prevalent in Japan, with the first competition being held in 1989 with
only 33 robots, by 2001, the number was over 4,000.
This entry involves a scratch-built
robot, as seen here on the right, or the purchase of a kit to assemble, or the purchase of a
ready-made pre-assembled robot.
YOUR MISSION:
Sumo-bot wrestling requires robots to push or flip each
other out of a circular ring (dohyo). A robot that is flipped &
immobilized or pushed outside of the dohyo loses, the other robot wins
a yuko point. The first to gain two yuko points wins the match.
Robots may be remote controlled (r/c) OR autonomous
(self-contained, no remote controls).
R/c robots battle other r/c robots; autonomous robots battle other
autonomous robots.
The robot will start a battle when a button on its body is pressed to
begin movement after a 5 second delay.
Entrants will battle the robots on the day of the fair, and the robots
with the best performance will win monetary prizes.
Dohyo ring dimensions for practice:
MegaBot ring
Diameter: 154 cm
Height: 5 cm
Edge: 5 cm black
Center: white
MiniBot ring
Diameter: 77 cm
Height: 2.5cm
Edge: 2.5 cm black
Centre: white
Construction ideas - Edison V2
robot (Sumo or Maze entry)
Tim Carr from Mindkits.co.nz
kindly supplied two of these amazing robots, real
value-for-money and intuitive to use.
First of all, I hate looking at naked robots. C3P0 looked creepy
without his metal skin, and the T800 Terminator endoskeleton gives me
nightmares
still. Robots should be "dressed" or be designed with a type of
"costume" in mind. Making and designing are creative acts so why not
make a
functional machine that also looks interesting or inspiring?
Edison robots are LEGO compatible, so I decided to put my childrens old
bricks to good use;
How can you make your robot look more interesting with a body
modification or costume covering?
You could use card or other materials but keep in mind the Edison
sensors still need to do their jobs!
You could research some famous robots for ideas to make Edison a body
to be proud of!
Features of the Edison V2 robot:
Great
introduction to robotics and coding for Primary / Intermediate students
Works
straight out of the box, (once batteries inserted); no programming
needed to see results!
Can be
programmed by bar codes provided, for immediate obstacle avoidance,
sumo, etc.
EdBlocks
programming interface simple to use for beginners - no language to
learn!
EdPy
text-based programming for more advanced use to learn coding skills
Cheap, easy
to use universal programming lead that plugs in to any headphone jack
on any device
A great robot for
under $70 that works on any device (Apple, Windows, smartphone), grows
with the user from novice to expert and is very well constructed and
robust.
In the video above you will see I added a PICAXE 08M2 chip to flash the
lights in the chest cavity.
For experts or
advanced builders: It is
possible to
add a range of different sensors, such as temperature or colour
sensors, to the PICAXE chip and then programme the PICAXE to send an IR
signal to Edison.Edison can
be
programmed to move in response to the IR signal.
This opens the Edison
up to a much wider set of environmental conditions to monitor, moving
in response to the external sensors attached to the PICAXE.
You could have a heat-seeking Edison!
Construction ideas - Arduino or
PICAXE robot (Sumo or Maze entry)
Here
again it adds a lot of appeal to have a fully "dressed" robot. Rather
than letting people see the bare circuitry and gears, why not make a
body costume to make your robot look more interesting and appealing?
You could recycle parts from an old analogue TV like I did here in the
video below:
OP1 is a PICAXE-based robot with a L239D motor controller and a
Bluetooth module. He operates on 8 C-size cells (12 volts DC).
OP1 senses the environment for temperatue and static electricity,
sending the data back to my smartphone for graphing. I can also take
control of OP1 to drive the robot remotely. There is a MP3 player
module to produce sound effects. On the front is an ultrasonic range
finder module, an aid to avoiding obstacles when OP1 autonomously
explores his surroundings.
Suppliers of kits
and parts;
There are a number of suppliers of PICAXE and Arduino kits and parts.
Try Mindkits
or Jaycar or Surplustronics.
I have recently seen Arduino Smart Car kits at www.dx.com
who also provide motor controllers, bluetooth modules, ultrasonic range
finders, etc, often with free delivery. I have found them very
reliable, but some parts take a few weeks to arrive, depending on
availablility.
'Brains' - Arduino board
The Arduino Smart Car kit is a great
dea from DX.com.
AND you can substitute easily a simpler breadboard with a PICAXE
18M2 chip to replace the Arduino board and sensor board.
Keep the Arduino and sensor board for another time!
Add a bluetooth module (see further below) for just US$4 and you have your own OP1 robot!
If the wheels are pushed tightly inwards on axles this just fits in the 10cm size limit for the MiniBot class
Battery pack; 3 cell AA, 4.5 volts
Your robot could use just two AA cells for a lighter weight battery pack running at 3 volts.
I place the pack on the MDF, then attached the 'brains' of the robot, the PICAXE breadboard, on top. A little hot glue can help hold things together if just solving a maze.
Using 3V or 4.5V depends on the motors you are using.
With a slight modifiction (removing back and front rubber
bumpers), Cybot is a good example of design and
'dressing up' the bare mechanics to make a more pleasant looking robot.
Arduino two
wheel smart car
MegaBot class
Also order two line sensors if you want to have a line follower. Add a
body shell and face to complete it!
Add a low-cost bluetooth module for full OP1 functionality. Order the kit or sensor modules from www.dx.com
Robo:bit
Megabot class
Also order the Mico:bit controller itself, and two line sensors if you want to have a line follower. Add a
body shell and face to complete it!
With a
slight modification (reposition the wheels to underneath the body) OP1
is a MegaBot, a good example of recycling to make a robot.
The
body shell is from an old TV / radio and hides the circuitry of a
modified two wheeled smart car (above). I used a PICAXE chip to replace the
Arduino board.
Add a MP3 player module for
sound effects.
Dalek
Full-size
replica..too big for competitions but a very nice STEM project to build!Arduino or
PICAXE controlled.
Students can sit inside and operate the Dalek.Runs on 6 C-size cells.
Dome lights flash in time with voice modulator, gun fires with sound
effect.
Robots in movies and TV
Want to gain more digital technology skills? Make a movie using your
robots! See the Dalek battle a bear in our 48 hour film entry
"Collision course" by Jampot
Productions in Taranaki, winner of two local awards including
Audience Favourite.
CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE IDEAS!
Original fun experiments &
technology to build for authentic maths and science investigations for
all ages;
