What is a Robot? What is a Program?

our homework over chinese new year was to read the first two chapters in our new Lego mindstorms NXT-G Programming guide. The main principles of the two chapters are how is a robot different from a toaster?, Why is program structure important? and what are the steps the book suggest for you to follow if you are going to write a program? A robot is different from a toaster because a robot moves and reacts on its own, something a toaster can not do. Program structure is important because if the orders for a robot are given in the wrong order or they are not detailed enough, the robot will not know what to do. Finally, the steps the book suggests we follow to write a program are

1. write a pseudo code
   
2. transfer it to the NXT-G program
   

Full Speed Ahead

In the full speed ahead lab, we learned how to make our robot move forward. this was not without a few glitches along the way. we learned that we could not just put one forward motor block. that would make the robot turn in circles because only one motor was working. We then added the second motor forward block and the turn motors off after 2 rotations. this made the robot move forward but stop gradually. This is not what we wanted. We then added a stop block afterwards to make sure the robot stopped instantly. With the program writing software, i discovered that you had to place a brick right next to the other to make a block work. Also, you had to calibrate the settings to get the right motor to turn and for how long you wanted it too. We also attempted to get the NXT to connect to the computer via bluetooth but we could not figure out how to get the programs to send so we ended up using the cable and pressing the download button.

Chapter 1

In chapter 1, I learned that the Lego Technic bricks are very different from the original lego bricks. the new lego bricks offer the option of putting in beams, which has the potential to greatly reduce the weight and amount of peices needed to build your robot. I also learned that lego builders express the lise of Legos with 3 numbers that represent the width, length, and height. Width and length are expressed in studs (the circle looking things on top of the bricks). Another important fact about the Lego cube is that height and width are not proportional. the height is bigger by a factor of 1.2. A plate is a normal brick but with 1/3 of the height. I also learned that studs have a 5:6 ratio with the normal lego bricks. So every 6 bricks, the beam will line up with the holes. Another important note is that i finished my taskbot with minimal glitches so by tomorrow, i should have it up and running hopefully with a few programs.

What Defines a Robot?

A robot is a artifically created, programmed object that can take in information about the outside world, move and usually immitate human behavior. In todays lesson, I learned how to use sensors, motors, attach wheels to the motor, how to turn on the nxt, and how to run programs on the nxt. My first robot was one that changed motor speed by sound. The louder the sound, the faster the wheels moved. I look forward to seeing what else these robots can do