Right Face Activity Lab #2

1. What happened when you ran the program?
          -The robot make a º270 right turn.
2. Which motor(s) spun?
          -Only motor C spun.
3. What direction did each motor spin?
          -Motor B didn't spin. Motor C spun right, or forward.
4. Did the robot's body turn to its left or its right?
         - To the right.
5. About how much did the robot's body turn, relative to a full turn?
          - 3/4 of a turn.
6. This behavior is called a "swing" turn. Around what point does  the robot swing?
          - The robot swings around the right wheel.
7. Write a brief one or two sentence description of what each icon in the program "Swing Turn" does.
          - First block: move block. It makes the left wheel (port C) spin forward.
          - Second block: move block. It is programed to make the right wheel (port B) brake, allowing the stay completely still.
          - Third block: wait block. This block lets the robot only complete 2 wheel rotations.
          - Fourth block: move block programmed to make right wheel (port C) brake.
          - Fifth block: move block. The move blocks is programmed to make the right wheel (port B) brake.
8. The robot started at position A on the diagram shown here. It then turned in place until it reached position B.
     a. Can you tell which direction it turned to get to this position? Explain why or why not.
          - No, I can't tell which what it turned. It could be turning left or right.
     b. Suppose the robot turn to its left to reach position B. What fraction of a full turn did it make to get from A to B?
          - 1 3/4
     c. Suppose the robot turned to its right to reach position B. What fraction of a full turn did it make to get from A to B?
          - 1/4 turn
9. Consider the effects of some additional factors.
     a. How do you think different wheels will affect the robot's ability to turn? Does it matter?
          - Different size wheels would call for a different amount of rotations if I wanted my robot to go the same distance.
     b. Does the surface on which the robot is turning matter?
          - Yes, it could slip or get stuck on paper. My robot could stick to carpet more than it would stick to wood floors.
10. The robot in the given program turned right by moving its left wheel forward while holding its right wheel stationary.
     a. Could you also turn right by holding the left wheel stationary and running the right wheel in reverse?
          - Maybe.... its sounds logically possible.
11. What program blocks are different between the let turn and original right turn behaviors?
          - No blocks are different, but the direction of the first motor blocks are different. The wait block is programmed to recognize a different direction.
12. Could a left turn also be done with the backward-moving wheel idea from question 10? program your robot to make the backward-left turn.
          - sure
13. Describe the difference between the morion of a swing turn and a point turn.
          - The Swing Turn is a pretty literal description. It sort of "swings" on its right wheel. So if there was a line drawn on a surface, the robot would still be on that line when it did the swing turn, kinda like the right wheel was attached to the line.
When my robot did the point turn it sort of revolved around in a circle. If I put a quarter underneath the my robot before it turned the quarter would be in the same position under the robot after completing the point turn.
14. Describe a situation where:
     a. A swing turn is more useful than a point turn.
          - A swing turn would be preferable in a situation where something was coming up behind it and the robot had to turn and also get out of the way
     b. A point turn is more useful than a swing turn.
          -  Point turns are the bomb-diggity when my robot has to turn around and face its opponent stay in the line of fire, and being able to totally destroy the enemy!
Just kidding. That would be pretty useful, but if my robot was in a very small area, like perhaps searching for a lost kitten that into a pipe, it would be easier to turn right around than to flip around.

Full Speed Ahead Lab #1

1. What happened when you ran the program?
        -One the left wheel moved.
2. Which motor spun?
          - Port C, the one to the left wheel.
3. What direction did the motor spin?
          -Forward
4. Did the motor stop spinning on its own?
          -Yes, after a while. Maybe it was just coasting to a stop.
5. Is this the desired behavior yet?
           -No, not yet.
6. Why is the second motor command needed?
           - With only one motor command the robot will only turn in circles, so the second motor command keeps the robot going forward.
7. Why did the robot not stop at the right place before?
            - It was commanded to coast, not brake.
8. What is the difference between downloading a program and running a program? When do you need to do each one?
           - Downloading a program is setting something up and putting it into the machine. Running a program means having a device follow the commands I've programmed.
9. Which of the following determines the order in which blocks are fun in the program? Circle one.
           - b. the order of blocks on the white Sequence beam. The program starts at the small NXT symbol, and follows the blocks in the order they are reached along the white beam.
10. Write a brief one or two sentence explanation of what each block does in the program describe in wrote.
         1. First block: The first block is a motor block. It is telling the left wheel to go forward at a certain amount of speed.
        2. Second block: The second block is also a motor block. It is doing the same thing as the first block, but it's communicating with the right wheel in port B.
        3. Third block: The third block is a wait block. It tells the wheels how many rotations to wait.
        4. Fourth block: The fourth block is a motor block that tells the left wheel to brake.
        5. Fifth block: The fifth block is another motor block that tells the right wheel to brake.
11. look at your program.
 a. Which icon or icons in the program controlled how fat the robot went before stopping?
              -The wait block, i think. it would make more sense that the motor blocks told the robot how far to go, but i messed around with the wait block and i think that's what controls the rotations.
b. Explain how you could change the program to make the robot go a longer or shorter distance.
             - The wait block tells the wheels how many degrees to rotate, so i could program the wait block to go more degrees or less degrees.
12. Describe the robot's new movement pattern if you moved the motor plug from Port B to Port A, but did not change the program. How would you then need to change the program to make the robot go forward again?
            - If i moved the motor plug from Port B to Port A the robot would not be able to move its right wheel. I'd need to change the program to make the Port A control the movement of the right wheel.
13. Describe the robot behavior that this program produces when run
             - Well, the robot will go forward for a certain amount of time, and then stop.
14. How far will the program shown below make the robot run? Look carefully, this is trickier than it seems!
              - The robot will go forward 1,440 degrees and then stop.
15. What program blocks are different between the moving forward and moving backward behaviors?
              - The direction arrows are different.
16. Did your robot perform both actions as expected? If not, what did it do instead?
               - Well, it didn't do what I wanted at first. It wouldn't go backwards, and then it would go backwards too far. I just had to reprogram it.
17. Why did the rotation sensor need to be reset?
              - The robot would go forward º720, and then go backward º1,440 to the  -º720 mark. I reset the sensor to 0 after the robot went forward º720 so that the robot would end where it started.
18. When do you need to do this in future programs?
              - um, well I'll probably need to do it it i want the robot to pick something up and then carry it back.
19. Why doesn't the robot go exactly the same distance every time?
             - Sometimes the robot slips, or gets stuck on paper or something of the sort.
20. Why doesn't the robot go perfectly straight?
            - I had a cord running down and touching one of my wheels. It kept sticking and keeping the wheel from rotating so my robot was going a bit crooked.

Assignment #1

Everybody is health conscious. Obesity has us all scared into low-fat milk and 100 calorie cookies. Nearly 34 percent of adults are obese, more than double the percentage 30 years ago. The amount of obese children tripled to 17 percent. What if there was a way to enjoy foods you love, without accidentally going overboard? If I had absolutely everything I needed to build the robot I think would best serve the human world, I would create a robot that could be surgically attached to the stomach to help people eat healthier. My robot will help people eat healthier by checking their blood sugar and caloric intake on a thrice-daily schedule.

My robot is just a little band, much like the Live Strong bands everyone wears on their wrist. It won’t damage your inside, or cause any complications with your body’s normal functioning. A simple incision will be made to the entry of the stomach so a tiny part of the band will be able to take a sample of the foods that the body is about to digest.

 By attaching my robot to the stomach, the robot would be visibly hidden, thus not embarrassing the person who uses it. Sometimes I find myself forgetting all the things I put in my mouth, but with the robot attached to my stomach I would be reminded that I have eaten to my caloric extent. If a person is low on a type of vitamin, vitamin c for example, my robot will have the capability of sending a list of types of food to supply the needed vitamin via text message. During a healthy lunch of burgers and cheesy fries, a person might get a message from the robot saying; "needed vitamin- C. Suggested foods- oranges, tomatoes, kiwi." Much like a diabetic checks their blood sugar, my robot would have the capability of painlessly, and routinely, checking a person’s blood sugar while they are eating. You won’t have to worry about weather you should order a BLT or a salad because my robot will be there to tell you when enough is enough of anything.

Of course, if you would rather eat a gigantic salad instead of half of a BLT, and you are wondering if there is any way to make the salad more healthy and delicious, my robot can suggest to you what type of dressing might have the fewest calories, what toppings to stay away from. Simply text your robot the code for “romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, ham, ranch dressing, 300 grams” and the robot might text back saying “omit ham, use tuna. Add spinach leaves.” Each of my robots will come with a manual that lists the codes for every type of food and ingredient that could be imagined.

My robot would solve the problem of over-eating with its ability to gauge the caloric intake of a person. By presetting a person’s daily calorie diet, 4,000 for example, my robot would send a warning, via text message, that the daily allotment of calories is running out. No more eating out of boredom, because the robot will be aware of your eating habits, and will advise you to cease and desist.

When I’m super stressed-out because of a 1,000-word essay I have to write I sometimes snack while I work. Needless to say, a bag of M&M’s is more enjoyable than a bag of celery, so I find myself going to bed with a tummy ache. (Eating right before bed also gives me nightmares.) My handy dandy robot senses the body’s sleeping habits and will text you to stop eating and drink some water if it perceives you are snacking too close to the time you usually go to bed.

If a diabetic is tired of having to prick their fingers to give a blood sugar sample, my robot is the perfect solution.

People everywhere will be using my robot because of its discreet location, and its effectiveness will increase its popularity. Of course, you can always choose to not take the advice my robot will offer. My robot will not take over your mind and make you believe that if you eat a slice of pizza your stomach will explode. My robot has absolutely no risk of turning against the human race. If a potential consumer is concerned about using my robot inside their body because they think there is a risk of my robot taking over their mind, they will need to answer the question; “how can something located at your stomach affect your brain?” Of course there is always the possibility that my robot will use food as leverage. “I will squeeze your stomach so no food will get in until you kill the president of the United States.” But I will program my robot not to do that. So everyone can rest assured that starving people would not be running around doing my robots biding.

             I feel that my robot is the smartest way to aid people on the quest to a healthier lifestyle. All over the globe people will be talking about my amazing robot, and the incredible results they were able to achieve with its help.