Introduction
Robotics has become one of the most popular concepts among kids in the recent decade. Thanks to the advancement of educational facilities, robotics is now more approachable and easier to understand than ever. Robotics leverages children's curiosity, creativity, and teamwork through hands-on activities. Logical thinking and, in particular, programming are the absolute necessities for future job opportunities, and there's no other place better than robotic classrooms for young children to practice these skills.
In this project, we will make the simple robot navigation system possible. When set off, our robot can locate surrounding obstacles and make its way around them. Using a single motor, this robot utilizes a simple mechanical mechanism that steers the motor output toward either robot's translation or rotation.
Mechanical Mechanism of Discovery Robot
For our robot to find its way through obstacles, it must be able to move in back and forth and rotate. Our mechanical mechanism is primarily designed to transfer the motor's output power to turn the wheels while the wheels rotate freely. Once the robot hits an obstacle down the path, the robot stops so the wheels stay locked in place. While the wheels shaft is jammed, the motor's output will be consumed to turn the wheelbase entirely instead, and this motion continues until the wheels are free to rotate again. This continuous sequence of actions helps the robot to maneuver freely among the obstacles.
What is the Cherry Core?
Cherry core is the primary power source of our project. One of the cool features of Cherry core is that it has an onboard microphone that detects sound impulses. Clapping hands or snapping fingers are the two potential sources of sound impulses that stimulate the Cherry core, which increases the toy's interactivity for kids. With each impulse, Cherry core slightly turns the motor for a short period so kids can control how fast your robot is going by clapping faster or slower.
How to Assemble LEGO®-compatible Discovery Robot
The following instruction provides step-by-step how-to assembly instructions to build this project.