ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

This is a new curriculum by Carnegie-Mellon, designed to introduce students to data logging with NXT-G 2.0. Included are lesson plans and video tutorials for the following experiments: 1)Motion: Program a mobile robot to obey the posted speed limit 2)Heat: Investigate how effectively various materials block radiant heat 3)Sound: Investigate the sound sensor's response to different kinds of sounds 4)Light and Color: Investigate whether or not your robot can detect "rust" and "mold" in narrow "ventilation ducts" 5)Light: Program your robot's light sensor to detect structural weaknesses on the underside of a "bridge" The curriculum includes high-quality instructional videos, student worksheets, quizzes and an extensive teacher's guide. Purchase includes a classroom license. A VIDEO that features the motion experiment is here . BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS for the stand used in the sound investigation are here . An OVERVIEW of the cur...

The Robotics Educators Conference for teachers and administrators interested in robotics will be August 15-17, 2007. The conference will be held at Butler County Community College in Butler, PA. The cost of the conference is $50 with an additional $25 charge for anyone who is interested in touring the Carnegie Mellon University robotics facilities. Why come to a robotics conference? • To meet over 100 other regional educators that are also teaching robotics! • To learn about ROBOT250 • To learn more about how to teach fundamental STEM through robotics • To find out how you can get kits and software Attendees can: • Try out activities that use LEGO, VEX and other controllers to teach math & science. • Meet fellow users and experts. • Share experiences & ideas for implementing robotics in the classroom. • Learn about dynamic new developments in robotics education. There will be conference sessions on: • Beginning programming using the NXT programming language. • Advanced progr...

Earlier this month, news was posted to this blog that the LEGO Mindstorms robotics sets (past and present) had been inducted into Carnegie Mellon's Robot Hall of Fame. In addition to the Robot Hall of Fame, CMU is involved in several other initiatives to take robotics to mainstream America. These include: - Hosting a RoboCup tournament - Releasing Do-It-Yourself robot recipes through their Terk program - The Robotics Academy delivers several educational resources including curriculum and camps on a disk. This article contains an interview with Matt Mason, director of the Robotics Institute at CMU.