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robot demo

DunnseptDunnsept Posts: 115
edited 2007-01-25 18:32 in Robotics
my 4 year old son absolutely loves building "stuff" with wires & resistors etc. My Boe-Bot is one of his favorite things to help me put together, because of the interaction.
he is always building "robots" in school out of whatever bits & pieces they have around.
He now wants to build the boe-bot and have me bring it in to his pre-school class, kind of like show n tell.
I'm thinking about the flashlight following setup. this is going to be a room full of 4 and 5 year olds so I want something that is semi-foolproof.
any suggestions? any "been there, done that.. here's what works & what doesn't" kinds of tips?

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stand back! I have a slide rule and I know how to use it!

Comments

  • RontopiaRontopia Posts: 139
    edited 2007-01-24 15:59
    do you have any sonic sensors?

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    Muahdib


    IC layout designer
    Austin Texas
  • DunnseptDunnsept Posts: 115
    edited 2007-01-24 16:24
    nope.... I have the base boe-bot. I do have a few other bits & pieces around, but nothing like that.. after I played with the boe-bot and stamps for a while, I moved to SX and propeller. Although, thinking about it, it might be a worth a delay to get some, that would probably be pretty cool for the kids to be able to basically call the thing over to themselves

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    stand back! I have a slide rule and I know how to use it!
  • RontopiaRontopia Posts: 139
    edited 2007-01-25 00:58
    I dont know that a sonic sensor can do that.. I ment one for navigation..

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    Muahdib


    IC layout designer
    Austin Texas
  • DunnseptDunnsept Posts: 115
    edited 2007-01-25 15:10
    oh.. true.. I was thinking one thing and typing another... yea., have it navigate around the room and avoid the chairs & stuff... duh.. gotta turn my brain back on one of these days

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    stand back! I have a slide rule and I know how to use it!
  • Steph LindsaySteph Lindsay Posts: 767
    edited 2007-01-25 18:32
    Hello Dunnsept,

    I have staffed a few robotics trade shows for Parallax and have seen how young kids respond to various demos.· There are usually two challenges with the Boe-Bot and young audiences:· One, to explain that the Boe-Bot is more than an·RC-car type toy, and two, avoiding the whole "Let's make them destroy each other!" battle-bot scenario.· (To satisfy both responses, we usually set up two SumoBot robots·in a·competition ring, one running autonomously and the other set up for remote control.· The kids try to battle the autonomous robot and often lose, to their surprise!)

    Anyway, the·Boe-Bot Shadow Vehicle from Chapter 8, Activity 2 is a good interactive Boe-Bot demo that requires no extra hardware.· A Boe-Bot programmed to follow will lock on to a child's hand, and the child can guide it around, easy to take turns.· There is something about the "Oh - it sees me!" experience that elicits a different, more engaged response. The next question is often·"How does it see me?" which to me is the sound of the door·to educational opportunity opening!·If you want you could show that it sees white construction paper easily, but can't see the black paper as well.

    I hope you have a good time with Show and Tell!

    -Stephanie Lindsay

    Editor, Parallax Inc.

    p.s. (Also, the "It sees me!" anthropomorphism can make people instantly more protective of the robot - a good thing!)
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