Robotic Zoo and MoonBots

I'm currently teaching a class on NXT Robotics at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. I have two more summer camps this summer at the AVA - both are sold out.

I also have a few kids working on the MoonBots challenge from Google.

Teaching - Upcoming Classes at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon NH

I'm currently teaching a class after school on Thursdays on creative programming with Scratch. You can still sign up for the next session. This spring and summer I'll be doing some cool robotics classes.

AVA Gallery and Arts Center
info@avagallery.org
11 Bank Street Lebanon, NH 03766

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The Robotic Zoo

April 29 - May 27

Thursdays, 4:00-5:30pm

Residents of a distant moon base miss the wild creatures of their home planet. Build and program wonderful creatures to fill their "Robotic Zoo!" Using Lego Minstorms NXT robotics systems, participants will create autonomous robots that seem to have a life of their own.


Robotics — Mission to Mars

July 12 - 16

Monday - Friday, 1:00 - 4:00pm

Participants will design and program rovers to complete missions on the surface of Mars, including delivery, retrieval, and activation using Lego NXT robots. Taught by an experienced First Lego League mentor, this course is a perfect introduction to Lego robotic systems as used in the First Lego League competitions.

Edward Fielding

Robotics — The Mayan Temple

July 5 - 9

Monday - Friday, 1:00 - 4:00pm

What secrets lie hidden in the recently discovered Mayan ruins? Using a simple programming language in AVA's Digital Arts Media Lab, participants will build Lego NXT robotic explorers to unlock these ancient mysteries! Taught by an experienced First Lego League mentor, this course is a perfect introduction to Lego robotic systems as used in the First Lego League competitions.

Vibrobot Family Workshop at the AVA Lebanon

Oct. 17th 2009 - Vibrobot workshop at Lebanon's AVA Gallery and Art Center.

The kids with help from their parents made some really cool Vibrobot creatures. Vibrobots are little robots made from recycled materials and powered by tiny cell phone or pager motors.

The kids brought their imagination to the table full of 3v batteries, pager motors, wire, solder, sticky table and a lot of hot melt glue.

Arduino + Processing - Serial Communication

It's surprisingly easy to get Arduino talking to Processing via Serial Communication. You can send sensor readings to Processing and make things happen there or send data from Processing to Arduino.

A good start is the Virtual Color Mixer project. Very simple and quick. Just remember after loading the sketch to the Arduino to shut down the software on your computer before running the Processing sketch otherwise the Arduino holds on to the port and won't let go!

Next step is I want to get a couple of sensors on the Arduino to represent the x,y cords. of a mouse. I'm going to start here: Lucky Larry's Arduino + Processing

Arduino Wave Shield

I recently built and have been playing around with a Adafruit Wave Shield for the Arduino. Basically you are building your own iPod type device although it plays low quality wave files and not MP3s but it's an iPod that can respond to sensors and provide outputs.

Couple of handy links:

Interface class for the Arduino Wave Shield

Free sound samples

Mistake of the Week

I was building a Wave Shield for Arduino (available from Adafruit ) and of course nothing worked the first time.

I checked all the solder joints, went online looking for software problems, checked the sound files, formatting of the SD card etc. I looked at the serial output of the program and everything there checked out. Finally I starred at my board and the picture of a completed board on the website and DUH! I saw the problem. I had put one of the capacitors in a spot where an LED was suppose to go! I was so busy trying to make sure I had the polarization right that I wasn't paying attention to the component description.

In any project a zillion things could go wrong. Best advice is to take your time and double check everything.

Amazing Yard Sale Find!

Lego Mars Rover - found at a yard sale for $5. What an incredible find! My son was focused on building this all day!