Robotics Vocabulary
The Idea of Robots
A Czech playwright imagined robots as a slave class of manufactured human-like servants.
A program
A logical and step-by-step set of directions for the robots to follow.
A Robot must be
A mechanical device that senses, that thinks, that acts.
Programmer
A person who writes and tests a computer program
If there are no more lines of code (statements) to run what will happen?
A robot will stop
line tracker
A sensor that can help a robot follow a colored line
Potentiometer
A sensor that can track and limit a motor's movement up to 265 degrees.
shaft encoder
A sensor that counts the rotations of the wheel.
Bump switch
A sensor that sends a signal to the whole robot when pressed. Usually causing motors to stop or reverse.
Limit switch
A sensor that stops a single motor when it is pressed
Psuedocode
A set of steps that a human can use to write a program. It is not written in any sort of code, but normal language.
Algorithm
A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem, especially by computer
sprocket
A toothed wheel that is used to pull a chain (like on a bike)
gear
A toothed wheel that spins other toothed wheels.
Engineering Notebook
A written document done by the robotics team to help with creating the robot. It should be written in daily.
4 Basic Robot Components
A-Frame, B-Control system, C-Manipulators, D-Drive Train.
Manipulators
Any sort of a tool used by a robot, usually attached.
Robot Engineering Cycle-Step 4
Assembly
Robot Engineering Cycle-Step 2
Design
Controller
In robotics, a tiny computer that acts as the robots brain and contains the computer program
comments
Instructions or thoughts written into the programming code that are for people to read, not for the robot to follow. They usually are show in the code with // or */ beginning them.
Sensors can sense
Light, Color, IR, Touch, Distance, Rotation
Robot Engineering Cycle-Step 3
Modelling
Inverse
Opposite in position, direction, order or effect.
Robot Engineering Cycle-Step 1
Specification
393 Motor
Standard motor for vex robotics
Robot Engineering Cycle-Step 5
Testing
Debug
The process of detecting and eliminating coding or equipment errors.
Robotics
The science and technology behind the design, manufacturing and application of robots.
RobotC
The software used to program the VEX robotic equipment used in class.
Behaviors
a convenient way to talk about what a robot is doing and what it must do to carry out a plan created by a programmer.
A simple statement is
a line of code including all the appropriate words, numbers, and punctuation (like ;, ( ) )
Simple behaviors
can be added together to create complex behaviors
Whitespace
empty space used in programming to make it easier for people to read
A Drivetrain
includes wheels, motors, gears, and axle shafts.
A programming language
lets the programmer communicate a plan to a robot
Complex behaviors
made up from a series of simple behaviors.
If one part of punctuation is missing in computer code
the program will show an error when you try to compile it.
power pack
the vex Nickel Metal-Hydride 7.2v battery
Actuators are
types of motors
A program ends
when it runs out of commands to do. It is not necessary to use a "Stop" command all the time.
