Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!paladin.american.edu!constellation!osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu!olesun!gcouger
From: gcouger@olesun.okstate.edu (Gordon Couger)
Subject: Re: educational robotics
Message-ID: <CouFyA.2yz@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu>
Keywords: educational robotics & Fischertechnik
Sender: news@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu (USENET News System)
Nntp-Posting-Host: olesun.agen.okstate.edu
Organization: Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State Univ.
References: <1994Apr22.103656.1@ashley.cofc.edu>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 01:54:10 GMT
Lines: 38

In article <1994Apr22.103656.1@ashley.cofc.edu>,
 <scollege@lascar.puc,cl> wrote:
>scollege@lascar.puc.cl (Raul Castro) in <scollege.57.0@lascar.puc.cl> writes:
>
>>It's possible to know some educational robotics model?
>>It's possible to know information about educational robotics experiences 
>>in schools?

We built 20 rather simple teaching robots that were
essentially a stepper motor driven pizza pan the moved
a beaker through a stack of LED phototransistor pairs.
The change in the light beam was used to find both 
sides of the beaker and a pump salvaged from a battery
powered water gun filled the beaker to the chosen depth.

The robot was driven by a rather sophisticated data acquisition 
unit which in turn was driven by a C program that looked
like a basic interpreter. It was developed for a sophomore level
general agriculture course. The goal was to show that it is
not unrealistic for a reasonably intelligent person with little
understanding of computers to use computers to control
processes. There was also a data acquisition lab that wired a
plant with thermocouples and recorded a 40 degree C heat
pulse as it moved up the stem of a pine tree seedling.

If doing the robot over I would use a 68HC11 running FORTH
as a controller and rewrite the C program to correct a few
problems.

Gordon


                             Gordon Couger                            
                             Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering              
                             Oklahoma State University                         
                             114 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK  74074                 
 gcouger@olesun.agen.okstate.edu 405-744-9763 day 624-2855 evenings 
    I do not speak for my employer
