Robo Sumo – Jack Bogue

Week 2:

In this week of our Robo Sumo module, we were introduced to our first robot challenge that we would be working on over the next few weeks. It was called ‘Tip The Can’. What we would have to do is design a robot that, when plugged into the Arduino Nano, would follow a series of code and search for the can on the desk, tip it, and back away. The faster the time you could record, the better your score.

There were of course some dimension restrictions and rules set in place in advance.

• The robot could not exceed 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.
• It could weigh no more than 100 grams.
• Once the timer starts, you’re not allowed to pick up your robot.
• As soon as the robot makes its first movement, all hands must be removed from the robot.

Of course, a time could still be recorded even if one of these rules were breached, however the team would not score as high as those who follow everything correctly.

So in our groups, we had to split the work load. We decided it was best to work off of a skills basis to ensure efficiency with our time. With Brent and James having a background in coding they were able to make a start on the code the robot would follow. Each group was given a bag of equipment that would be used for the robot. This included a battery pack, two motors, a breadboard, a pair of LEDs, an Arduino Nano, a sensor, a switch, and some resistors.

While Brent and James worked on the coding, I learned how to solder. This would be useful for attaching wires to the motors and the battery pack. With this, they could be included in the circuit. I picked it up easily enough and really enjoyed doing it. When I had returned to my team, they were able to explain the code they had completed to me so that I understood what each element represented.