Robotics Research At Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute

What I Will Cover Today

• Introduction
• Robotics – the Transformative Technology
• Teaching with Robotics –
– Math – The Robot Algebra Project
– Engineering – Training the Robotics Competition Community Project
– Computer Science – Changing Culture in Robotics Classrooms Project
– Robot Virtual World Math Tools
– Expedition Atlantis
• Recruit Schools and Teachers for our DRK‐12 Research Project
• Show you where to find lots of free resources for your class
Basic robotic
research

Applied robotic
research

Educational
robotic
research
CMU Published Research
The Robotics Academy is located at NREC

Started in 1999

hosting robotics
camps
Robotics Academy Team
Louis Alfieri II
Post Doc, University of
Pittsburgh

Jason McKenna
Teacher, Beaver School
District/Robomatter
 National Robotics Engineering
Center

Drive state-of-art
robotics technologies
into every day use
Robots are everywhere, we just don’t call them robots.
 The DARPA Grand Challenge
2004 DARPA Grand Challenge 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
The first competition of the DARPA
Grand Challenge was held on March
13, 2004 in the Mojave Desert region
of the United States, along a 150‐
mile (240 km) route that follows
along the path of Interstate 15.
No car finished the race.

2005 DARPA Grand Challenge

•Vehicle must be stock or have a documented safety record.

•Vehicle must obey the California state driving laws.
•Vehicle must be entirely autonomous, using only the information it detects with
its sensors and public signals such as GPS.
•DARPA will provide the route network 24 hours before the race starts.
•Vehicles will complete the route by driving between specified checkpoints.
•DARPA will provide a file detailing the order the checkpoints must be driven to 5
minutes before the race start.
•Vehicles may “stop and stare” for at most 10 seconds.
•Vehicles must operate in rain and fog, with GPS blocked.
•Vehicles must avoid collision with vehicles and other objects such as carts,
The second competition of the DARPA Grand Challenge bicycles, traffic barrels, and objects in the environment such as utility poles.
began at 6:40am on October 8, 2005. •Vehicles must be able to operate in parking areas and perform U‐turns as
All but one of the 23 finalists in the 2005 race surpassed required by the situation.
the 11.78 km (7.32 mi) distance completed by the best
vehicle in the 2004 race.
New DARPA Grand Challenge Tasks!

1. Drive a utility vehicle at the site.

2. Travel dismounted across rubble.

3. Remove debris blocking an entryway.

4. Open a door and enter a building.

5. Climb a ladder and traverse a

walkway.
6. Use a tool to break through a
concrete panel.
7. Locate and close a valve near a
leaking pipe.
8. Replace a component such as a
cooling pump.
 Meet CHIMP

http://www.rec.ri.cmu.edu/projects/tartanrescue/
Robotics and Senior Care
1 in 5 Americans will be over 60 by 2030
Smart Kitchens that gently remind the senior citizen that the
water is running in the sink or that the stove is turned on.

Systems that reminds seniors to take their medicine, gives

remote access to caregivers to check to see if someone has
opened the refrigerator, flushed the toilet, or turned on the
stove that day.

Systems that allows telepresence so that friends and

relatives can remotely share a meal together.
Service Robotics ‐ Autonomous Driving

Consider the rapid advancement of robotic

autonomous driving technology.

“When we blend the data available via Global

Positioning Systems (GPS) with current networks and
real time feedback from satellites we can predict that
driverless cars are only a decade away…” Sebastian Thrunn,
Stanford

Future roboticists will couple “Google maps like

data” and real time GPS feedback with new sensing
technologies ...
Service Robotics Market
70 Billion per year
 Web2.0 to Web3.0
Web 3.0 – the internet is connect to sensors,
software, and robotic networks globally.

The significance of these connections cannot be

overstated; robotic systems that provide remote
access and feedback will be everywhere.

Cars, connected to GPS, connected to traffic

cameras, connected to Google maps, connected to
On‐Star or some other provider,
connected to real
time news…
Robots will have the same effect on the emerging economy as
the computer did on the information age!
Transportation Security
– Electronic flight control systems – Security scanners (airports, sports arenas)
(autopilot, fly‐by‐wire) – Red light cameras
– Route planning (which planes/trucks, – Credit card fraud/theft detection
which routes) – Facial recognition and identification
– Inventory tracking (barcode scanners, – Border sensor networks
RFID, satellites, web interface)
– Airport traffic control Green Homes/Buildings
– “Quality of Life” Smart Homes
Business & Finance • Remote access to senior citizen homes
• Smart kitchens and bathrooms
• Medicine dispensers and monitors
– High‐speed stock trading (algorithms,
online trading system) – Thermostats HVAC
– Business model and market simulations – Solar/Wind/Geothermal Systems
– Accounting Software Embedded Systems
– E‐commerce/Credit Card Processing
– Cars
– Internet Storefronts
– Cell Phones
– Router/Network Devices
– Modern Appliances (microwaves, refrigerators, stoves,
– Video Monitors/Onscreen Displays dryers, washers)
– Industry/Factory automation
Health Care Equipment – Robots
– Heart Monitors – CNC machinery
– CT Scanners
– Patient Monitoring Entertainment Media
– Medicine
– Video games
– Special effects (algorithmic filters)
3D crowd imagery (movies with lots of digital "extras")
– Motion capture
Robotics ‐ is a content organizer that allows you to teach many disciplines
• Math
Classroom robotics is about 15
years old. Most robotics teachers • Engineering Process
are not trying to create future – 21st Century Skill Sets
roboticists, they using robotics as • Cooperation/Collaboration
• Teamwork
a content organizer to teach:
• Problem Solving
engineering, math, CS,
• Resource Allocation
technological literacy…
• Time Management
– Electronics
Lesson Learned – In order to be
– Scientific Methods
effective as a robotics teacher you
– Technological Literacy
have to foreground and measure
the concept that you are trying to – Communications, English, and
Language Arts
teach.
– Persistence
• Computer Science
 Robot Algebra Lesson Learned
A teacher needs to decide what to foreground in a
robotic lesson, you can’t teach everything

Math Programming

Separate the Math from the Programming

Find Papers on teaching math with robotics at: www.cs2n.org/teachers/research

 Teaching Math In Robotics Classrooms

Robots In Motion Cognitive Tutor Enabled Abstraction Bridge Math Enabled Robot
Model Eliciting Activities Robots In Motion Word Problems Virtual Worlds

Integrating Robot Math Into Gameplay

Unlockable Badged
Operation Reset
Achievements
Programming Game Expedition Atlantis
Model Eliciting Activities
Cliff notes Version

The problem is placed in a context

that makes sense to kids

Kids have to come up with a mental

model of the math

They need to describe the math

They have to evaluate either their solution

or another kids solution

Their knowledge is generalized

Designed in a way that makes it

easy for students to get started?
The Robot Synchronized Dancing Unit
Combines:
Robots
Write programs to teach these
Music
4 robots to dance in synchrony Dancing
& Creativity
Teaches:
Proportional Distance
Proportional Turning
Proportional Speed
Measuring Distance, Angles, Rate, Scale, Conversion of Units
 MEA ‐ Robot Synchronized Dancing
Students have to Create a Mathematical Toolkit
 The Better Deal
Abstraction Bridge Example

The Better Deal

Name_________________________________________

Directions: Show all work, describe how you got the answer using mathematics and
words, and circle your final answer.

The Problem: Who gets more pizza, a girl or a boy? Explain your answer using math
and words.

Make connections between robot math and other math

 St. Patrick's Day
Abstraction Bridge Example
Integrate Abstraction Bridge questions into student activities

St. Patrick’s Day

Name_________________________________________

Directions: Show all work, describe how you got the answer using mathematics and
words, and circle your final answer.

The Problem: Will was responsible for marking the route for the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade downtown. He was asked to put green tape in a circle around each telephone
pole on the route. There are 150 telephone poles on the rout and each telephone pole
is 35 centimeters wide. How many rolls of tape does Will need to finish the job if each
role is 50 meters long? Explain your answer using math and words.
 Better Deal 2
Abstraction Bridge Example

The Better Deal 2

Name_________________________________________

Directions: Show all work, describe how you got the answer using mathematics and
words, and circle your final answer.

The Problem: Two girls got into the theater on State Street for $3.00. Five boys got
into the theater on Main Street for $6.00. Which group, the girls or the boys, got the
better deal? Explain your answer using math and words.
 How are Abstraction Bridges Used?
Integrate Abstraction Bridge questions into student activities

To Foreground the Math

• Used as a warm‐up activity – as kids are filing into
class the problem is on the board, they learn that as
soon as the problem is finished they start the work.
• Single problem homework assignments
• They serve as formative assessment tools
Three Scaffolded MEAs

Measurement

Proportional Distance

Direct and Inverse

Proportional Relationships
Printable PDFs are at the RA website

http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/educators/research/robot_algebra/index.htm
Atlantis – Free a the Robotics Academy Website

http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/educators/research/robot_algebra/index.htm
Engineering Education/Robotics Competitions
The Competition Format Teaches:
There are over 30,000 US
• Engineering Process
Robotics Teams involved with
• 21st Century Skill Sets
the following competitions:
– Cooperation/Collaboration
• BattleBots – Teamwork
• BEST – Problem Solving
• BotBall – Resource Allocation
• FIRST FRC, FTC, FLL – Time Management
• REC Foundation VEX, • Electronics
VEXIQ • Scientific Methods
• Trinity Fire Fighting • Technological Literacy
• TSA • Communications, English, and
Language Arts
• Persistence
Engineering Education/Robotics Competitions
Engineering Education/Robotics Competitions

These videos and others are

free at www.vexteacher.com
Engineering Education/Robotics Competitions

The full ROBOTC for LEGO and VEX

Curriculums are available for free
at www.robotc.net
 Is Computer Science Important to Tech Ed?
Transportation Security
– Electronic flight control systems – Security scanners (airports, sports arenas)
(autopilot, fly‐by‐wire) – Red light cameras
– Route planning (which planes/trucks, – Credit card fraud/theft detection
which routes) – Facial recognition and identification
– Inventory tracking (barcode scanners, – Border sensor networks
RFID, satellites, web interface)
– Airport traffic control Green Homes/Buildings
– “Quality of Life” Smart Homes
Business & Finance • Remote access to senior citizen homes
• Smart kitchens and bathrooms
• Medicine dispensers and monitors
– High‐speed stock trading (algorithms,
online trading system) – Thermostats HVAC
– Business model and market simulations – Solar/Wind/Geothermal Systems
– Accounting Software Embedded Systems
– E‐commerce/Credit Card Processing
– Cars
– Internet Storefronts
– Cell Phones
– Router/Network Devices
– Modern Appliances (microwaves, refrigerators, stoves,
– Video Monitors/Onscreen Displays dryers, washers)
– Industry/Factory automation
Health Care Equipment – Robots
– Heart Monitors – CNC machinery
– CT Scanners
– Patient Monitoring Entertainment Media
– Medicine
– Video games
– Special effects (algorithmic filters)
3D crowd imagery (movies with lots of digital "extras")
– Motion capture

All Emerging Technologies will be Programmed

 Teaching Computer Science via Robotics
Toss Up Block Party Supporting Teaching
Programming in Classrooms
For the past two seasons we’ve made
two versions of the game. At the top is
the actual FTC Game Simulation that
uses allows both autonomous and
driver control.
The Actual Game Simulation
At the bottom is a specially designed
game that we’ve developed
specifically to teach robot
programming. This game uses all of
the elements of the FTC game, but
includes additional features that
allows the game to be challenged in
an autonomous only mode.
A Modified Game that can be Challenged
using Autonomous only mode
Multiple Programmable Robot Types
FTC Robots

Programmable:
• Wheel Encoders
• Arms
• Shoulders
• Intake
Mechanisms
• Gyro Sensor
VEX Robots • Light Sensor
• Sonar Sensor
• Remote
Controllers
Computer Science Education Act – This Could Include Tech Ed

9/13/2013 – Referred to Subcommittee on Education

Future CS K‐12STEM Offerings
This Could Be Us
 Recruiting Partner Schools
To prepare over 1,000 Highly Competent
robotics instructors able to teach students how
to use robotics as an organizer to teach
students engineering process and to introduce
students to the CS Principles Computational
Thinking Practices identified as important for
all students to understand (Astrachan, et al.,
2009‐2013); and to do so through their
existing robotics classes.
 Recruiting Partner Schools
Using Robotics to Teach Big Ideas of CS
The CS computational artifact for:

• Creativity could be: a robot, a webpage, a logo for their team;

• Abstraction: pseudocode, variables, or a map;
• Data: the human genome, statistics on global warming, or collecting feedback from sensors via
data logging;

• Algorithms: a flowchart, an algebraic expression, or an algorithm they developed to calculate

a threshold value.

• Programming: robots that complete a variety of tasks

• Internet and Impact: Robotics competitions also involve team organization,
fundraising, marketing, and team promotion, providing additional opportunities for students to
create computational artifacts.
 What’s in it for you?
• A Certification that could lead to Job Security
• Free training
• Free software
• An opportunity to be part of a research project
Certifying Teachers, Coaches, Mentors, and Students
Online Training Tools Automated Assessment Tools The Certification

RVW Curriculum Computer Science and

Online LMS Companion Robotics Certification
• Algorithmic Thinking
• Syntax, Statements, and Structures
• Robot Mathematics
• Control and Feedback of Motors and
Sensors
CS2N Groups • Boolean Algebra/Conditional Statements
• Variables/Functions/Parameters
• Pedagogy
• Programming User Interfaces
Extensive Resources
– Buttons
– Joystick
CS2N Learns • Troubleshooting/Debugging Code
• Arrays
• Case Statements
• Multi‐Tasking
• Multi‐Robot Communications
Competition Specific
Tools RVW CS2N Login • Pointers
• Recursion
Badge Pathways to Certifications
Free VEX Resources
www.vexteacher.com
 Free LEGO Resources
www.robotc.net www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu www.cs2n.org

www.nxteachers.com
Free Arduino Resources
 Additional Virtual Tools
RVW Level Builder/Robot Transformer
The Level Builder enables teachers and
students to make their own challenges
using models that already exist.

Pictured below is an example of the NEW

Robot Transformer Technology. Students
can swap out robot parts and use them in
the game.

The Level Builder Allows Students and Teachers

to Create Programming Challenges

Examples of User‐Created Worlds

Picture above from the New Expedition Atlantis Game
 Robot Virtual
Programming Games
that work with
NXT-G, LabVIEW, and
ROBOTC
Robot Virtual Programming Games that now work with NXT-G, LabVIEW, and ROBOTC

High End Graphics

Story Driven
Gameplay
 Additional Virtual Tools
RVW Model Importer

The Model Importer allows students to

draw parts using a modeling software
(i.e. PTC, Autodesk, Solidworks, or
Google Sketchup) and save the part as an
FBX file type and import that part into
their custom Robot Virtual World.

Videos that show how this works can be The Level Builder Allows Students and Teachers
found at: www.robotvirtualworlds.com to Create Programming Challenges

Create Your Own Parts and Import them into the world
Research Driven

Pretest score vs posttest score. Points above the line

improved on the posttest compared with the pretest.

85 55
Days Days

Days taken to complete the course separated by condition.

 RVW LabVIEW Tools January 2014

LabVIEW RVW Retail Pricing

Annual Single Seat - $49
Annual Team License - $149
Annual Classroom License - $299
Robomatter has been working with
National Instruments and now has Perpetual Single Seat - $79
Annual Team License - $299
LabVIEW working with RVWs!
Annual Classroom License - $599
RVW NXT Software January 2014

NXT-G RVW Retail Pricing

Annual Single Seat - $49
Annual Team License - $149
Annual Classroom License - $299

Perpetual Single Seat - $79

Annual Team License - $299
Annual Classroom License - $599
 Tools to Teach Programming Using Virtual Robots
Current Game‐Like Worlds Automated Assessment Tools Certifying Teachers

Palm Island RVW Curriculum Computer Science and

Companion Robotics Certification
• Algorithmic Thinking
• Syntax, Statements, and Structures
• Robot Mathematics
Ruins of Atlantis • Control and Feedback of Motors and
Sensors
Student Earn Badges • Boolean Algebra/Conditional Statements
• Variables/Functions/Parameters
• Pedagogy
Expedition Atlantis • Programming User Interfaces
Operation Reset Math Game – Buttons
– Joystick
• Troubleshooting/Debugging Code
• Arrays
• Case Statements
• Multi‐Tasking
FTC Virtual • Multi‐Robot Communications
Programming Only • Pointers
Competitions • Recursion
Teacher/Mentor Classroom View

Individual Student Progress View

Member Progress Teacher View

Teacher Grade Book View

Teacher View of Student Grades

Teacher View of Student Quiz Results Teacher View of Overall Results

Over 240 Colleges Use ROBOTC!
 Supporting Classrooms
Curriculum and RVW Curriculum Companion

Available for free online at 87 page curriculum The Curriculum Companion

www.robotc.net allowing guide that provide includes over 40 virtual
students to complete step-by-step programming challenges that
homework. Most schools instructions for align with the robot
purchase the software for teachers using the programming challenges
quick access to over 80 high ROBOTC found in the ROBOTC
resolution videos. Curriculum Curriculum at the left.