General Topics: Engineering, Robotics, Electric Energy, Electronics, Programming
Grade Level: 2-3

In this activity we explored more of Lego’s WeDo software and continued to expand on our robot!

The students began by teaming up again to create another Milo robot so that everyone had an individual robot (the ones built last class and those built this class). By this class the students knew the procedure and were quick to build and quick to explore.

Once built, the students were then asked to perform the motion sensor code and explain what is being observed. We explained the sensor and gave a simple overview of feedback systems with robots.

The students then built the tilt sensor robot. This robot used the tilt sensor to gain feedback and project a word onto the screen of the software. While it was initially a bit hard for the students to understand how to make the code work, the students were able to pick it up. We then taught them how to make not only a word appear on their screen based off of the direction of tilt, but how to make their robots move based off of it, allowing a joystick motion!

This class we learned: 

• How to use the WeDo software
• How to create from Lego pieces
• How to code using visual programming (the WeDo software)
• How open feedback systems work in robots
• About the tilt sensor and motion sensor

Things to keep in mind for future activities: 

• Students didn’t understand the tilt sensor much without the visual feedback from the moving robot, always linking the code to robot movements/changes is ideal