STEM SEALs

Land Challenge

Students in Action

Rover

  • two-wheel drive
  • ultrasonic obstacle avoidance / distance sensor
  • motorized cargo bed
  • can be remotely controlled or can drive autonomously

Engineering

  • assemble rover by attaching DC motors, wheels, electronic motor driver board, servo motors for ultrasonic sensor and cargo bed
  • propulsion calibration – speed and steer control
  • sonar calibration – ultrasonic sensor measurements and analysis
  • how do DC motors work?
  • how do servo motors work? what’s the difference?
  • assemble a remote controller using the same microprocessor as for the rover

Transportation

  • load and unload cargo
  • drive from point A to B and back using the remote controller
  • let the rover drive autonomously a square pattern
  • transport a simulated blood sample from the blood bank to the hospital
  • stop automatically in front of the hospital, and
  • let the rover automatically unload the cargo

Life Science

  • test a simulated blood sample for blood type
  • what kind of blood types are there?
  • how does the test work?
  • why it is important that a patient receives the correct blood type?

Computer Science

  • what are the components of the microcontroller you use for rover and remote control?
  • write computer code driving the rover
  • write computer code reading the sonar and let the rover “think” what to do
  • write computer code for the remote control using the micro:bit’s accelerometer
  • what are variables?
  • change your code for different autonomously driven courses

Geometry and Algebra

  • what is a “course”?
  • which parameters determine a leg of a course?
  • how can you teach the rover to make a 180 degree turn?
  • read the graphs you drew for the propulsion calibration tasks and estimate the values of the variables needed for each leg of the desired course
  • does your rover do precisely what you think it should do?
  • why or why not?

Competition

Competition

  • free-style slalom race: avoid obstacles using the remote controller
  • slalom race: time and accuracy count – stand remote!
  • five-leg autonomous course – from start to finish around obstacles in a square pattern
  • deliver cargo from the blood bank to the hospital using the remote controller
  • three-leg autonomous course – have the rover autonomously deliver the blood to the hospital
  • relay race – team race over and under the Golden Gate Bridge

Rover Competition