Hey everyone! In this article we describe the robot we used while teaching online robotics classes.
The EV3 Core Bot
This robot is the one with instructions that comes with a Core Set.
It looks like this:
This robot is moderately customizable: the color sensor can be adjusted to face down or horizontally, similarly for the touch sensor.
Specifications:
Motors:
• 2 large for wheels
• 1 medium for the arm (~110° motion)
Sensors (can use pretty much anything that comes in Core Set):
• Touch
• Color
• Gyro
• Ultrasonic
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
• Easy to build, actually comes with instructions
• only requires one Core Set
Cons:
• Not very multipurpose, has only one moveable arm
• Limited sensor positions
The RoboMentors “littleBot”
This is our robot we designed for an online course over 2020 summer (remember that one?). Attached is a stud.io file containing a 3D model of it. Here is how it looks:
This robot is similar to the core set, but includes two medium motors for added functionality. The sensor list is more or less the same, however for this robot other pieces are needed to build it as shown in the picture.
Specifications:
Motors:
• 2 large for wheels
• 2 medium: one for the arm (~90° motion) and one for the second arm with a touch sensor on it (~360° motion, but careful of cable coiling)
Sensors (can use pretty much anything that comes in Core Set):
• Touch
• Color
• Gyro
• Ultrasonic
Pros:
• Easy to build, instructions are here.
• multipurpose and easily customizable, simple move around the sensors to your desired location
• fits in a Mindstorms box
Cons:
• Requires core set and expansion set, see full piece list here.
• takes a little longer to build than the simple one.
This robot is also the one we use in our EV3 Programming tutorials here.
Conclusion
For making such robots for a class of online robotics students (~10-15), the TA(s) or teacher(s) should build the necessary amount of robots to hand one to each student or give them resources to build them. Generally, building them yourself can help eliminate most errors, but for students on the other side of a country, you may not want to mail an expensive robot that far.
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© The Robo Mentors (Marc and Anne-Sarah)