Top 10 Lego Robot Dos and Don’ts
Teacher Professional Development Spring, 2002
Number 10
Do: Don’t: Use books. “Reinvent the robot.” Use the web. Work in a vacuum. Use existing machines as inspiration. Use any resource and reference that you can find to construct and program your robot.
Number 9
Do: Use sturdy and rigid connections. Use square frames. Use pegs to act as rivets in doublebeams for additional strength.
Number 9
Don’t: Rely on robots that are held together by one Lego “pip”.
Number 8
Do: Use cross-bracing!
Number 8
Don’t: Rely on mere friction to hold the robot together.
Number 7
Do: Have good axle support.
Number 7
Don’t: Bend the axles. Put excessive forces on the motor axles.
This is a good way to snap the motor axle.
Number 6
Do: Use gears. Gears give the robot more strength and control.
Number 6
Don’t: Attach wheels directly to the motors. This makes the robot too fast and out of control.
Number 5
Do:
Understand that the robot’s hardware and software work together. A change to one means a change to the other. Have your “hardware” guys and your “software“ guys know what each other are doing.
Number 5
Don’t: Work in isolation. Famous last words: “I didn’t change anything!”
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Number 4
Do: Use sensors! Sensors help deal with unknown conditions. Sensors relieve the tedium of programming using time alone.
Number 4
Don’t: “Gip” your students out of learning something about sensors and robotics. But, at the same time, don’t force them either.
Number 3
Do: Prototype early. Prototype often. Good way to subdivide tasks without needing all of the Lego parts (e.g. the RCX).
Number 3
Don’t: Build the WHOLE thing first, program and all, and then try it. It is more difficult to make changes the more “final” the robot is.
TIE
Number 1
Don’t: But by the same token, don’t stifle creativity or innovation.
Do: Keep it simple! The more things that you add, the more that can break.
TIE
Number 1
Do: Don’t: TEST TEST TEST! Wait until the night before the Build the game competition to finally boards early and start try out the robot. using them NOW. When you’re finished testing, TEST SOME MORE!