Hands-On Robotics

Let's check out the "Create" model robots...


Note the...

Handle

Omnidirectional IR receiver

• omnidirectional?
• IR?
• receiver?

Tailgate

Cargo bay

Cargo bay connector

Charging socket

Serial port

• May have a cover to remove
• Plug in the cable and then remove (gently!):
• Embossed arrow faces outward, see figure -
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

External hardware mounting holes

Power button

• Why that symbol?
• (per IEEE 1621)

Power LED

• LED?
• green=charged
• amber=partial charge
• red=little charge
• flashing red=no charge
• What is the charge of yours?

Play button

Play LED

Advance button

Advance LED

Resetting the robot:

• Power cycle it. Try it.

Choosing a demo (10 of'em)

• Press the 'Advance' button
• Printed with a double arrow
• 4 beeps for demo #4
• long beep for #5
• long + 2 shorts for #9
• How about #10?

Try each demo outside where there is more room...

Contact points for home base

• Why not save $ by making them out of plastic?

Cliff sensors

• Are these spring-loaded feelers, or electronic?

Battery

• Take it out
• Put it back in
• Press both ends to make sure it is seated; sometimes one end hasn't clicked yet

Musical robots

send:
128 132 (start, then put robot in full programmer control mode)

send: 140 0 4 62 12 68 12 69 12 74 36
(loads a song)

send:
141 0
(plays the song)

140=defines a song
0=name it song #0
4=we'll see later :)
62=MIDI note #62 (range 31-127)
12=twelve 64ths of a second
Etc.

You can send all three at once:
128 132 140 0 4 62 12 66 12 69 12 74 36 141 0
Notice the 68 is a 66 this time
Should give you control, then load, then play the new song

Try some variations on
128 132
140 0 4 62 12 68 12 69 12 74 36
141 0
recalling that:
140=defines a song
0=name it song #0
4=song has four notes
62=MIDI note #62 (range 31-127)
12=twelve 64ths of a second
Etc.

Insert a 5th, superhigh tone, 111
Play it for a long time, 100:
128 132
140 0 5 62 12 68 12 69 12 74 36 111 100
141 0
Try it

Program new variations and let's have a concert...


Robot motion

Moving - kind of key for robots!

Initialize: send
128 131
Make it move:
be ready to pick up so it doesn't fall
send :
137 0 100 128 0

137=drive
0 100=go 100 mm/sec
128 0=go straight, no circle

Notice that:
128 131
is not the same as
128 132
which gives full control
This time try
128 132 (instead of 128 131)
Then again make it move (be ready to pick it up!):
137 0 100 128 0
Pick it up
Now what to do??!

Change the initialization back to:
128 131
and send it

What is the slowest speed you can get it to go?


Scripts

A kind of small program

152 17 137 0 44 128 0 156 0 144 137 0 44 0 1 157 0 90 153

Let's analyze it!

152=define a script
17=it has 17 more bytes
137 0 44 128 0=drive, 0+44=44 mm/sec., 128 0=straight
(137 1 44 128 0 would drive 256+44=300 mm/sec.)
156 0 144=wait until 0+144=144 mm
137 0 44 0 1=drive, 0+44=44 mm/sec., 0 1=spin counterclockwise
157 0 90=wait until 0+90=90 degrees
153=repeat script
Notice how this makes it go in a rectangle!

To run the script:
send 128 131 (start in safe mode)
send 152 17 137 0 44 128 0 156 0 144 137 0 44 0 1 157 0 90 153
send 153 (to run it)

Recall:
152=define a script
153=play a script

Well,
154=show the script
try it
what happens?

Let's review the script program...
Then try variations on the program
- see board for command details

If time allows - show off your new program