Robotics Class

[RonnieS]

Originally Posted by z_beeblebrox

Inventor, however, which is the main Autodesk program used in FRC, is Windows-only.

Yes, you can.

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/file...intosh_faq.pdf

-Ronnie

[hrench]

So many people are teaching what I would consider 'advanced' subjects. Our team teaches some of these, but you also must remember that some basics are in order for most students.

As the mechanical mentor, I teach classes in
1. Materials
2. fastening and joining.
3. pneumatics
4. robot systems
5. How we design.

I'm considering adding a course in 'tools' because surprisingly, many kids don't know the names and uses of tools nowadays.

The electrical mentors on the team also teach classes in their electricity and electronics and programming.

Our courses are free on our web page, as .pdf but if you'd like the powerpoints to adapt them to your team, just give me an email.
http://www.pantherrobotics.com/resources.html

note: very slow website, but it does come in eventually.

[bEdhEd]

I posted this on another thread regarding pre-season preperation. This may be helpful here, too. Vanden Robotics actually has two classes. Manufacturing Technology for the rookies (VEX oriented), and Principles of Engineering for rookies and experienced students (FRC oriented). We also have AP Computer Science, whose prerequisite class is Principles of Engineering.

This is the handbook for the Principles of Engineering class. It may give you some ideas for running a class and not just a club.

http://www.vandenrobotics.com/#!handbook/cra3

[Undertones]

We teach curriculum written by a 4334 member for Alberta high school credits using a partnership with an online learning service as the delivery platform.

Our curriculum is available here. http://frc-west.github.io/

[z_beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by Ronnie314

Yes, you can.

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/file...intosh_faq.pdf

-Ronnie

You could do the same for Solidworks; Inventor doesn't run natively on Mac.

[holygrail]

Instead of focusing on curriculum (since there is a lot of good curriculum out there), I wanted to talk a bit about how to structure the class to keep it engaging.

I have taught a VEX robotics class for the last 5 years at our school, mostly to middle school students. It could easily be scaled up to work at the high school level though. The good thing about VEX or similar platforms (like Tetrix), is that you can divide the class into small groups so everyone can be hands on in robot construction from start to finish. I have teams of 2 to 3 for each robot in my class. I test them to make sure that they are all getting the concepts we cover in class. I usually build in a mini-lesson at the beginning of each class before they get to work on the robot.

For curriculum, the VEX curriculum is really good. I also like the "Introduction to Competitive Robotics" that Intelitek puts out.

I teach them first about structural design and manipulators and we all build the same basic robot together, then I release a game and they have a few days to modify their robot for the competition before we play it in class. Then, I have them "unmodify" their robot before I teach them more advanced programming. Then, I release a new game with a tough autonomous mode, they modify again and we play the game in class. The students are graded on how robust their robot is, quality and complexity of modifications, effectiveness of programming, etc. The third competition is a free-build that is designed to be pretty challenging. You can even use previous year VEX games, but personally, I like inventing the games myself.

This can keep going with increasing complexity each time, but I really find that the looming competition is a fantastic motivator for the students. I never have to tell them to get to work.

I have several games and spreadsheets (to track competition results). I am happy to share them via a Google folder that I have set up, if you have a gmail account just let me know and I'll share it with you.

Alternatively, feel free to PM or e-mail me if you have further questions:
gavin.wood@barstowschool.org

[mplanchard]

Originally Posted by packers76

@mplanchard - Thanks so much for the advice about SOLIDWORKS. It is s a tool that I want to lean and to incorporate into the Robotics Class. Is there a way to get a free version through FIRST or do I need to purchase it? Thanks again.

Go to www.solidworks.com/first. Fill out application.

Kop is there from 2014 redone to show good modeling technique.

Also 25 videos on how to design a competitive robot
http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=P...W-gEKDxfWgShwG

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by z_beeblebrox

Inventor, however, which is the main Autodesk program used in FRC, is Windows-only.

Apple Bootcamp creates a dual boot environment in which you can boot into Mac OSX or Windows. It includes a driver kit for the underlying Apple hardware.

In fact you can run Windows on an Apple without Mac OSX.

Current Apples are x86 PCs with UEFI firmware.

Notable to this topic Rhinoceros is available as a beta on Mac OSX and it is free.