Experiment leaders: Matt Hausladen & AJ Zervoudakis
We worked with 9th graders at Heritage STEM academy to learn about the different components that make robots tick. The lesson started with an introduction on the usefulness of robots and highlighted the two main components that allow robots to function: software and hardware.
After the intro, AJ gave the students a lesson on coding, introducing them to different coding languages and the basic building blocks for any good code. Students were shown how these basic principles can be implemented to make fun and interesting things like a Pac-Man simulator. The students then worked through several levels of a Minecraft “Learn to Code” module on codestudio.org where they learned about the basic logic of coding: functions, for loops, and if statements
In the second half of the visit, Matt introduced the students to the field of soft robotics: robots that are made of stretchy materials He showed the students how different power sources like air pressure can be used to drive the motion of these robots by preparing several soft robotic grippers. The students studied the effects of air pressure on gripper actuation and pushed the grippers to their limits to see how much they could carry.
In the end, the students and mentors had a great time learning about and taking the first steps in using robotics..