Bots! Robotics Engineering , livre ebook

Nomad Press - Kathy Ceceri

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130 pages

English

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An action-packed book for middle schoolers that explores the roles robots play in our world, including the history, engineering, and key players in this STEAM field-plus loads of hands-on robotics activities so kids can learn design, engineering, and coding, and develop their own innovative ideas for future robots!Robots are everywhere! They vacuum our houses, work in our factories, help us learn at school, and play with us at home. They sample rocks from other planets, survey disaster zones from the air, and bring back images from the bottom of the ocean. In Bots! Robotics Engineering with Hands-On Makerspace Activities, kids 9 to 12 learn the how, why, and who behind the robots we have today. Explore the history of robots and artificial intelligence and read short biographies of important innovators such as Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, Alan Turing, Leonardo da Vinci, Dean Kamen, and Nikola Tesla, and Cynthia Breazeal. Engage in science-minded learning by constructing a hydraulic arm, formulating an edible inflatable soft robot, designing a motorized ArtBot, and testing your own gravity-powered mini-walker. Learn coding basics by writing pen-and-paper programs in Logo and creating virtual robots in the free online language Scratch. Discover how to build low-cost programmable cardboard robots using microcontrollers such as Micro:bit or Circuit Playground Express and Microsoft MakeCode. And find out how to train an "AI computer" to think by playing an unplugged Machine Learning version of the math game Nim. Essential questions, links to online primary resources, fascinating facts and brief sidebars help readers learn the basics of robotics while exploring their creativity as they design and build their own robots and robotic components.About the Build It Engineering set and Nomad PressBots! is part of a set of two Build It Engineering books that explore the engineering technology behind our daily lives. The other title in this series is Crazy Contraptions: Build Rube Goldberg Machines that Swoop, Spin, Stack, and Swivel with Hands-On Engineering Activities. Nomad Press books in the Build It series integrate content with participation. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Informations

Publié par	Nomad Press
Date de parution	08 octobre 2019
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781619308282
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	10 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0650€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

More engineering titles in the Build It Yourself series.

Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net
Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright 2019 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use . The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.
Educational Consultant, Marla Conn
Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Nomad Press 2456 Christian St., White River Junction, VT 05001 www.nomadpress.net
Printed in the United States.
CONTENTS
Timeline
Introduction    The World of Robotics
Chapter 1    The Development of Robotics
Chapter 2    Robotic Shapes and Jobs
Chapter 3    Actuators: Making Robots Move
Chapter 4    How Robots Do Things
Chapter 5    Sensors: What Is Going On?
Chapter 6    Controllers: How Robots Think
Chapter 7    AI and the Future of Robotics
Glossary • Metric Conversions • Resources • Essential Questions • Index

Interested in Primary Sources? Look for this icon.
Use a smartphone or tablet app to scan the QR code and explore more! Photos are also primary sources because a photograph takes a picture at the moment something happens. You can find a list of URLs on the Resources page. If the QR code doesn’t work, try searching the internet with the Keyword Prompts to find other helpful sources.
robotics
TIMELINE

200 BCE.

A mechanical musical group is presented to the Chinese emperor.

1464 CE

Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci designs a mechanical knight at age 12.

1822

English mathematician Charles Babbage creates a mechanical calculator called the Analytical Engine.

1842

English writer Ada Lovelace designs an early computer program for Charles Babbage’s invention.

1921

Writer Karel Capek from Czechoslovakia invents the word robot in his play R.U.R.

1947

The invention of the transistor makes small, light, movable computers and robots possible.

1961

Unimate, the first robot used in a factory, is installed in a General Motors automobile plant in New Jersey.

1971

Cheap, compact microprocessors make it possible to add computing ability to almost any kind of electric device.

1986

Honda begins work on a walking robot, the first ASIMO.

1997

The IBM chess-playing robot Deep Blue wins against chess master Garry Kasparov.

1999

Intuitive Surgical introduces the da Vinci Surgical System, which helps doctors operate using miniature medical tools.

2002

The first popular home robot, the Roomba vacuum cleaner, is sold by iRobot.

2004

The NASA robot rovers Spirit and Opportunity begin exploring the planet Mars.

2010

Google tests a self-driving car on roads in California.

2011

After a massive earthquake in Japan, iRobot PackBots are sent in to investigate a flood-damaged nuclear power plant.

2011

The IBM computer Watson beats two top human players on the TV game show Jeopardy.

2012

Hospitals in the United States begin using the ReWalk-powered exoskeleton with patients who are paralyzed.

2013

Harvard demonstrates the first in a line of RoboBees, flying swarm robots designed to help with crop pollination, search-and-rescue missions, and weather monitoring.

2017

A security robot drives itself into a courtyard fountain in a Washington, DC, office complex.

2019

Boston Dynamics releases the SpotMini robot dog for homes and offices. It opens doors and carries objects with its snake-like head.

Introduction
THE WORLD OF
ROBOTICS

Welcome to the amazing world of robots ! Remember the robots from Star Wars, WALL-E, and Big Hero 6? Not that long ago, robots were found only in books and movies. Today, real robots are everywhere!
Robots do many different jobs. Industrial robots assemble huge cars and tiny computer chips. Household robots vacuum floors and mow lawns. Security robots patrol malls and supermarkets. And self-driving robotic cars carry people and packages around town.
Sometimes, robots do dangerous jobs. Firefighting robots equipped with water cannons can go inside burning buildings too hot for humans. Bomb disposal robots protect police and military personnel as well as civilians. We send robots to explore the depths of the ocean and the expanse of space.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What task would you ask a robot to do?

WORDS TO KNOW
robot: a machine that is able to sense, think, and act on its own.
STEM: an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEAM is STEM plus art.
technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.
engineering: the use of science, math, and creativity to design and build things.
robotics: the science of designing, building, controlling, and operating robots.
But robots don’t just do risky, delicate, or boring work for us. Robot toys play with us, follow our commands, and respond to our moods. Robot pets keep people company in nursing homes. Musical robots accompany popular musicians.

Robotics is the science of designing, building, controlling, and OPERATING ROBOTS.

This robot, named Pepper, helps in stores, offices, homes, and schools.
Credit: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima (CC BY 1.0)
Creating a robot requires knowledge in STEM —Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It takes experts in many different areas to create robots. They include scientists who study plants and animals and the way people think and behave, as well as inventors, builders, designers, and artists. In fact, some people prefer the term STEAM—with an added A for “art.”
Robotics is also a popular hobby. Kids and adults enjoy making their own robots from kits or from parts they find themselves. Lots of interesting robot designs have been built by robotics fans working in their own homes or with other people in robotics clubs.

Students at a robotics competition
Robots may be machines, but for many people, the goal is to build robots that act as though they’re alive. Maybe one day, we’ll have robots that seem almost as human as we are!

The word ROBOTICS was first used by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) in the 1941 book I, ROBOT . The title inspired the name of the company iROBOT , maker of the Roomba ROBOTIC VACUUM CLEANER .
WHAT IS A ROBOT, EXACTLY?
Before you start working on your own robot models, let’s learn what makes a robot a robot. If you look in the dictionary, you’ll find robot defined as a machine that looks and acts like a human being. That description might work for movie robots, but in real life, robots take many forms. Household robotic vacuums look like giant hockey pucks. In a factory, a robot can be just an arm. There are robots in the shape of cars, insects, or even entire houses!

WORDS TO KNOW
roboticist: a scientist who works with robots.
sense-think-act cycle: a decision-making process used by robots.
sensor: in robotics, a device to detect what’s going on outside the machine.
controller: a switch, computer, or microcontroller that can react to what the sensor detects.
effector: a device that lets a robot affect things in the outside world, such as a gripper, tool, laser beam, or display panel.
drive system: wheels, legs, or other parts that make a robot move.
capacitor: an electrical component, such as a battery, that stores an electrical charge and releases it all at once when needed.
smart material: a material that can be used to build robots that react to their surroundings through their bodies.
soft robot: a robot with a flexible or changeable body that helps it respond to its surroundings.
To most roboticists, a robot is a machine that can go through the sense-think-act cycle.
• Sense: to take in information about what is going on around it.
• Think: to use that information to select the next step to take.
• Act: to do something that affects the outside world.
To complete the sense-think-act cycle, a robot needs to have at least three kinds of parts. A sensor detects what’s going on, a controller reacts to what the sensor detects, and an effector can take action. A robot can have many other parts, such as a drive system that makes a robot move around and a body to hold the parts together. You’ll learn more about the parts of a robot later and get to make some of your own!

Safety First!
Please ask an adult for permission before taking anything apart and to help you with anything hard to open. If you are taking something apart that has an electric cord, first make sure it is unplugged. Then, have an adult cut the cord off and throw it away! Robotics expert Ed Sobey offers the following safety tips.
Wear eye protection. Safety goggles can be found at hardware stores.
Before you break something open, see if you can figure out how it was put together and then take it apart the same way.
If you need to pry something open, push away from yourself.
When taking apart electrical devices such as cameras, watch out for capacitors. Capacitors look like small barrels or batteries with two wire “legs.” They are used to store electricity and may give you a powerful shock if you touch the wires. To make capacitors safe, hold onto a screwdriver by the wooden or plastic handle ONLY. Then, tap the metal end of the screwdriver on both “legs” of the capacitor at the same time. If there’s a charge, you’ll see a little spark as it discharges. Do this a few times until no more sparks appear.
NO BRAINS, NO BODIES
Not all roboticists agree with the sense-think-act definition of a robot. Some believe that a robot is any machine that can act on its own. Even robots that don’t have brains can behave in surprisingly lifelike ways. Some move around at random. Others react to their surroundin