The students of the course Robotics and Artificial Intelligence with Lego Spike Prime and Microbit created a Project themed “Lego Factory Tour”. A journey inside a factory, the three little robots will assist in receiving, moving, and distributing Lego products!
Educational benefits
Learning through the STEM approach helps students develop skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration through hands-on activities. Specifically, educational robotics is the right tool to enhance students' understanding of technology and the natural sciences through construction techniques and programming.
More specifically, construction techniques give students the opportunity to engage with basic concepts of engineering and physics and to solve problems that arise on their own. Programming the constructions exercises students' mathematical and logical thinking.
During this project, the children had the opportunity to interact with each other and take an active role in the learning process by discovering and improving cognitive and socio-emotional skills.
Indeed, through the workshop process, they gained the belief that science and technology are exciting and that they can succeed!
More specifically, the implementation of this Project offered students various educational benefits.
- They were informed about the operation of a factory unit that produces Lego bricks and components.
- Through the process of creating the model, they cultivated their imagination and aesthetics.
- They developed fine motor skills, movement coordination, visual perception, and spatial orientation through the construction completion of the robots.
- They used mathematics, made measurements and calculations to program the movements of the robots, analyze data, and perform calculations and tasks within the factory. Through this process, they cultivated their algorithmic thinking.
- Their collaboration and communication skills improved among themselves.
- They took initiatives and completed a Project, which boosted their self-confidence.
Project project
The Lego factory unit presented in the Project is responsible for packaging and transporting products to loading points. The forklift approaches the warehouse to transport packaging materials, such as cardboard boxes, to the packaging line. The packaging line consists of conveyors and operates manually. The gripper is used to pick up or place LEGO packages. The vehicle transports LEGO packages to different locations within the factory, depending on the needs.
Techniques and operations
Forklift
With the Lego kit Spike Prime, we built a Forklift, that is, a pallet truck.
Three motors were used, two for moving the robot in space and one to allow the component that carries the pallets to go up and down. We learned how to program the movement of our robot accurately, just like the smart machines found in industrial facilities, so that we can successfully move our pallet from one predetermined point to another.
Gripper
With the Lego kit Spike Prime, we built a gripper, that is, a claw.
Two motors were used, and with the correct connection of the beams to them, the gripper goes to positions that will allow it to turn the claw left or right. The claw has the ability to grasp the object and move it to another position. Programming this construction provided an opportunity for the children to explore the capabilities of the motors, apply logical structures for controlling the motors, and experiment again with angles and distances.
Tractor
With the Lego kit Spike Prime, we built a tractor, that is, an automated tractor – vehicle.
The construction features three motors, two for the movement of the rear wheels and one independent for the front wheels. In fact, using its rotating wheels, it can return to its original position in the opposite direction.
The programming of the tractor allows the robot to follow several directions: it moves forward, turns the steering wheel to the right, moves forward again, turns the steering wheel to the left, goes backward, turns right, straightens the wheels, and returns to its original position.
