Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation and application of robots and computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing. Using this amazing field of study, Carroll College’s new Physics degree has chosen to offer an introductory course entitled “Introduction to Robots & Experimental Physics”.
Over the semester, students were required to build and program robots to accomplish tasks (measure light decay, time pendulum periods, compute acceleration, …) or compete in battles against other robots (sumo wrestling, various races, …) on a weekly basis. Once a week was complete, robots were tested and graded based off performance during battle or ability to complete the task. While this class was focused on introducing the laboratory aspect of physics to freshmen, it also provided entertaining labs involving teamwork and collective problem solving.
The following is the course description provided by the Physics department.
Learn how to build and control simple robotic devices, and along the way you will learn the fundamentals of logic and control common to all computer programming languages. We will perform numerous discovery exercises in the laboratory, to introduce and practice experimental methods and mathematical modeling useful for physics.
The final project for this course was “Do something awesome with these robots”. Ideas of rubber band weapons or hi-fiving robots arose, along with some other “cute” ideas but I was looking for something a little more challenging.
Having taken Udacity’s Programming A Robotic Car, I had a few ideas on how to make the robot track itself judge its surroundings.
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