Robo-thusiasts

Lego Mindstorm NXT 2.0  is being widely credited as the best tool for teaching students about control and programming. The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contains software and hardware to create small, customisable and programmable robots. It includes a programmable brick computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors and LEGO parts for construction. The NXT 2.0 has two touch sensors as well as a light and distance sensor.

The mission of the LEGO Robotics club was to test it and see if it had a place within our ICT curriculum.

Task 1	Task 2
Jodaan and Luca unpack the kits and organise our tool boxes	Abhinav, Jack, Hamzah and Ben build the base unit and program the bot to move forwards, backwards and follow the perimeter of a square
Task 3	Task 4
Alex and Sean build the Shooterbot and program it to shoot balls at objects	Jake and Jack program the Shooterbot to guard your bedroom while you are away. The ultrasonic sensor was added to detect objects

The trial was a resounding success and the only disappointment being that 6 weeks was not enough time. All students thoroughly enjoyed building and programming their robots and were very reluctant to dismantle them at the end of the course. Our next challenge is to build a Robogator that attacks objects and defends its territory!

‘Unless mankind redesigns itself by changing our DNA through altering our genetic makeup, computer-generated robots will take over our world.’ – Stephen Hawking