May 2012
9
NXTified Wipeout Style Obstacle Course
For our Monday club at Kid’s Community College, we decided to take a break from the FLL mats and work on something a little more open ended.
I’m sure most everyone is familiar with the crazy TV Show Wipeout. We are going to build a few sections of their brutally fun obstacle course using the NXT motors and sensors. The build will be approximately at Minifig scale.
Since the KCC Robotics Club is going to take a break for the summer, I thought it best to pick something fun that we could accomplish in just a few weeks. For this build, I’m busting out lots of interesting bits for the kids to build with. I think the tricky parts will challenge them nicely. For instance, the Sweeper will require building two concentric sections which will need to rotate in opposite directions. The punching wall will need to at least appear to be randomly pushing LEGO bricks out to knock “contestants” from the ledge.
I’m not sure if we’ll have time to build the Wipe Out Zone, but it will have some interesting challenges as well. Perhaps I’ll save it for summer camp!
Apr 2012
30
NXT Astro Blasters
It seems the NXTified Astro Blaster’s game turned out to be a popular idea! For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been building up two drivable robots that will be remote controlled using Mindsensor’s Sony PlayStation 2 Controller interfaces for NXT.
So far, we have a platform, a hopper to store the balls, and a ball lifting mechanism to pull the balls into the robot.
Still to accomplish are motorized wheels, steering, a cannon, and targets.
For the base, we settled on Black Boat Hovercraft Bodies. They have a limited number of Technic style holes, so we are adding some of our own. You can see them in this picture of the platform with the ball catcher on board. They are along the skirt just below the ball catcher. The ball catcher is a Duplo Loading Chute.
This is the rear view with the ball retriever installed. We’ve been testing it with the LEGO 41mm Foam Ball but at about a buck a piece, I decided instead to get a bulk order of ping pong balls online. Ping pong balls are around 40mm and I think they’ll be a little more likely to trigger the targets than those foam balls which weigh even less.
Another view of the work in progress.
The key unusual LEGO items we have used so far for this build.
Apr 2012
11
North Tampa Club Needs a New Project
We’re wrapping up ButlerBot and our North Tampa Robotics Club is now in search of a new project idea!
Contender #1 is a LEGO MINDSTORMS version of the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters ride at DisneyQuest. Here is a fan video.
Each robot will be outfitted with a target. I have a nice collection of LEGO foam balls that we can use. Using PS2 game controllers, we will drive the robots around to pick up the balls and try to shoot the targets on the opponent’s robot. A successful hit will cause the other robot to spin wildly and flash lights for five seconds. We’ll have to add a fancy scoring system too.
Aerial View of DisneyQuest's Astroblasters Ride
Post a comment if you have other ideas!
Our North Tampa Robotics Club is bringing ButlerBot to the Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire on March 31st! Our little group has been hard at working building an NXT robot controlled by an XBox 360 Kinect controller. We’re excited to be there to show off what the kids and their dad’s accomplished.
What is a Maker Faire? It is a place where we celebrate the processes of learning and doing, and where we share our discoveries, curiosities, inventions, innovations and ideas as inquisitive, explorative amateurs. Tampa Bay Mini Maker is a celebration of regional do-it-yourself (DIY) character and spirit.
There will be dozens of other displays and a food truck rally. This family friendly event is being held at the University Area Community Development Center at 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, Florida 33613. Tickets are $5 if you order online, or $8 at the door. You can order them in advance here.
Mar 2012
3
New South Tampa Robotics Camp Posted
I know many of you are already planning your summers so we have been working extra hard to find a venue for our South Tampa Robotics Camp. I’m pleased to announce our first session is now open for registration the week of June 11-15, 2012.
There will be many all new activities along with some of the kid’s favorites from last year.
In addition to South Tampa, we currently have weeks available in North Tampa, Lutz, and in Riverview.
Please visit us at http://inanimatereason.com/camp for all of the details and to see the complete schedule. Camps will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and space is limited!
We also still have spots open in our community robotics clubs meeting now on Mondays and Thursdays in Riverview and Carrollwood. Details are online at our camp page. The North Tampa group is up to pretty exciting things! Check out our latest blog post about the robotic gripper we built for ButlerBot!
Feb 2012
27
An Unusual Ball Shooter Design
For the last few weeks, a number of kids at MacFarlane Park IB Elementary have been working on ideas for a couple of GBC modules. One of the kids decided he wanted to build a ball shooter to feed a ramp he built using some large, quarter round slopes. I helped him put his ideas to work and we came up with this:
There will be a liftarm across the top to help the gears stay engaged and it’s being displayed upside down to show off the mechanism. The H-pins are offset to keep the vertical gear centered over the two idler gears. The only trick will be accurately feeding it the balls. A motor will power the shooter from the red axle. It works pretty smoothly.
Now that we have our first semester Jr. FLL program all buttoned up, we’re ready to host another team! I have three open spots for a team forming in Carrollwood on Thursday evenings. First semester, over 50 students representing 11 teams participated in Snack Attack. For this semester, the program lasts from six to eight weeks depending on how quickly the team gets through the project and model building. The expo will be on April 7th at the Glazier Museum. I’ll have more details about the expo as it becomes available.
The cost of the program is $125. It includes the meetings and the team registration with FIRST and registration for the team at the expo in April. There will likely be some additional cost to attend the expo (parking and/or admission for siblings). Admission to the museum for each team member and one parent is included. We provide all the materials for the program.
Parents are welcome (and even encouraged) to stay and help out. Each child will be responsible for a team snack at least once during the program.
Who can enroll? Students ages 6 to 9 (as of Jan 1, 2011)
Cost: $125 for the season
When? Thursday evenings 6:00 to 7:30 PM February 9th thru April 5th.
Where? Messiah Lutheran Church, 14920 Hutchison Road, Tampa, FL 33625
How? Download the registration packet, Email Bill Shaw at bill@inanimatereason.com or use the contact link to the right and ask for a registration packet.
About the program
Can Junior FIRST LEGO League teams master the science of safely preparing food? In the 2011 Snack Attack Challenge, kids will take a “hands on” approach to the topic of food safety by exploring how proper preparation and storage can help keep us healthy. Teams will learn about simple machines as they build a model made of LEGO® elements with a motorized moving part, and will create a team Show-Me Poster to represent their Snack Attack findings.
Jr. FLL has captured the imagination and minds of thousands of kids. Each year, the Challenge Advisory Team designs a new and exciting Challenge to ignite the inherent creativity in young kids. The end result of the design process is a Challenge with two defined parts – the Show-Me Poster and the Model.
The Show-Me Poster requires kids to illustrate their research and team journey. It provides an opportunity for them to share what they studied, what they learned, and how they thought to improve the problem they chose. Their creative minds get started working on how to present their information and solution.
The Model portion of the Challenge gets kids’ hands busy. This is where they build a representation of what they are researching (according to the Challenge requirements), incorporating simple machines and movement into their creation. Teams are able to utilize a motor to power movement in their model, or they can move an element of it by hand.
The Jr. FLL Challenge is based on the same general topic as the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge. It is open-ended, designed for younger kids, and customizable for every ability level.
Posted in Robotics by .
Feb 2012
6
Scooba Battery Tear Down
I find myself in possession of two dead Irobot Scooba Battery Packs and no working robotic floor mops. I decided it was worth doing the tear down on one just to see how tough it could be to rebuild it myself. It took about 30 minutes only because I tried to be careful not to break the clips I knew I would find just inside one edge. I was not entirely successful in keeping those clips intact despite my best efforts. The extra glue inside the case is an evil “feature.”
You can see the pics of the battery pack guts on G+ here.
Next step, test the cells under load and find affordable replacements.
Jan 2012
24
FLL Regional Qualifier – Here we come!
I am so pleased that all three of my FIRST LEGO League teams qualified to move on to the regional qualifier here in Tampa! Not only did they qualify, they’ve all stepped up their game to give their best possible showing at the event! Win or lose, I’m proud of the integrity and dedication they are showing as we get ready to compete.
The Robochef Tampa Regional Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4th at the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC) Community Center, 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33613. The center is located north of the USF Campus.
This is one of six regional qualifiers being held around the state. Top teams from each qualifier will move on to compete at the state level at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne on Feb. 26th.
The event is open and free to the public. You don’t have to stay all day. The general schedule is
8:30 am Opening Parade and Ceremony
9:15 am – 2:00 pm (with a break for lunch) Competition rounds (Robot Arena)
2:45 pm Blind Pirate’s Robot Challenge (robots are teamed up and compete in direct elimination rounds for a bonus trophy during awards).
4:30 pm Awards Ceremony in Robot Arena
The robot arena will be setup in the gymnasium and there is bleacher seating for spectators. It’s pretty exciting to watch. I hope to see some of you there!
Linda Chion Kenney from the Brandon Patch interviewed me today at a local FLL tournament.
Patch Talk: Bill Shaw on Lego, Kids, Mindstorms, Robotics and MOSI
My grammar was really bad but I was between rounds and pretty frazzled. Still, it was a nice piece of press!
My teams did really well today. They stepped up and got serious about earning their spots at regionals. I’m proud to say that both teams are moving forward and they even took trophies!
Robotic Raptors – Rising Stars Award
Terminators – Rookie Team Award (and that was with I believe nine rookie teams present!)
Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire
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