Left Lane Ends

We know from the rules that a survivor will be on the line, so how does that help your robot find it? Follow these steps to learn about line following (you’ll have to use your own programming knowledge to figure out how this helps you rescue a survivor):

1. Go to this 9th Graders report on line following and look through it.
2. Start at the bottom of page two (2) and read through the description of his 6 different programs
3. Go to the bottom of page seven (7) and pick one program that is highly accurate and one that is quick.
4. Starting on page nine (9), he has a screenshot of his programs. If you picked program one, find ‘Algorithm 1′ to match it up. Locate the two programs you selected
5. Recreate the programs for your robot. REMEMBER: your robot’s inputs and outputs MUST match the program - you’ll need to use your programing knowledge to make sure that the program is appropriate for your robot (some programs require one light sensor, and some require two).
6. Test the accurate versus the quick line following program and write down what you found out in your team journal.

Now you can incorporate line following into one of your tasks! Think about all of the different ways that it can help you in this competition…

Often times, teams will build a robot based on a set of instructions or even with no clear purpose in mind. Try building (or re-building) your next robot with these instructions:

1. List all of the important abilities that your robot needs to have - we’ll call these ‘qualifiers’
2. Start an ‘Ability Needs’ list in your robotics journal. Keep it simple - does your robot need the ability to move forward? If so, add it to the list you just started in your team robotics journal. Does it need to be able to turn? How does it need to be able to turn? Tightly? Broadly? What other abilities does it need to complete the competition? Strength? Simple actions? Speed? Continue making the list of your robotics abilities.
3. Finish your list. Once you are done listing abilities, NOW is the time to start thinking about building, and build with the end in mind. If you are a novice builder, start with a set of instructions that meet most of the abilities you need - you can always make adjustments. If you are an intermediate builder - BEWARE! Don’t jump into a model without thinking through where you want to go - think ahead to how you can make sure you have a sturdy chasis.

Hint: Advanced builders may want to search the internet for some new ideas. Start at this website with different models, then try different combinations of the following search terms when you search:

• mindstorm or mindstorms
• lego
• “building instructions” (in quotes)
• rcx
• robolab

Creating a list of tasks and ordering them according to priority can be a very beneficial way to focus your efforts. Time is running short with preparation, so if your team is struggling, follow these steps to make the most out of the time you have left!

1. List the tasks that your robot has to perform and give them names/titles (write these in your team journal, which you should have already started!)
2. Leave space between the different tasks so you can identify the different steps for each of them
3. Prioritize the tasks: which is most important and why? what gets you the most points? what requires the least work from your robot? which task can get you closer to the ‘first touch’ tie breaker faster than your opponent? (Write down your answers in your robotics journal)

Check out this video of a team member talking through their identified tasks. Which one do you think will be the highest priority?

Hint: Complete ONE task at a time. Do NOT try to combine the tasks until you can do them separate and independently of each other. This will greatly help your team focus on one aspect of the competition without getting bogged down with more complex operations.