Community Education Robotics Courses
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LEGO
Robot |
Vex Robot |
LEGO
Competition |
Back by popular demand, MJC
is offering courses in LEGO and Vex robotics.
Here are photos from the 2009
Beginning Vex Robotics class and the 2009
Beginning LEGO Robotics class.
What is robotics, and how is it different from simply
building LEGO models?
Robots involve moving parts, and true robots are meant to
operate autonomously; you can tell
them what to do in advance using a computer program, then let them carry out
these instructions without further input from the user. Both LEGO Mindstorms
and Vex use programming languages which you will use to give these
instructions. Believe it or not, these
programming languages can be mastered by students as young as 8 years old! Vex robots can also be remote-controlled,
without using programming.
What are some differences between the two systems,
and how can I decide which is best for me?
The LEGO Mindstorms platform
uses plastic LEGO pieces as the basis for building, while Vex uses metal pieces
which can be cut and bent. LEGO robots
can easily be popped together and taken apart, while Vex robots must be screwed
together, taking a minimum of an hour to build even a simple robot, so more
patience is required for building with Vex.
The trade-off is in strength and complexity – LEGO robots easily fall
apart when dropped on the floor, while Vex robots are often sturdy enough to
climb up and roll down stairs. Also, the
LEGO "brain" supports a maximum of 3 motors and 4 sensors, while the
Vex "brain" has ports for 8 motors and 16 sensors. LEGO is generally recommended for younger
students (elementary and middle school), while Vex is recommended for older
students (upper middle and high schoolers). However, the is lots of good learning to be
had with LEGO, even for high school students, and plenty of adult engineers
like to tinker with LEGO Mindstorms. The main reason why Vex is recommended for
high school students is that many LEGO competitions are targeted toward younger
students and do not allow competitors older than 14.
After I complete the course, how can I keep learning?
For LEGO robots, there are many excellent materials. Some good websites include Minnesota Hi-Tech Kids, and
the FLL Freak website, which contain
links to many other resources. There
are also many published books – try searching on Amazon.com for "LEGO Mindstorms NXT."
The NXT is the newer version used in the MJC course; older books
document the RCX (the predecessor of the NXT) and are less useful if you plan
to buy an NXT kit.
For Vex robots, there are fewer organized resources. The Vex forum has many photos and
examples of Vex robots posted by users, and it is a good place to ask
questions. The Chief Delphi forum (Vex and FTC
threads) is another good resource – try reading older posts from the past 3
years. To date, there are no known
published books on Vex. However, some
materials on Vex have been developed "in-house" and are listed under
"Additional Resources for Vex" below.
Another excellent way to keep learning is to participate
in a robotics competition, and several are available locally.