We use Lego Mindstorms introduce you to a variety of concepts and skills, including: introductory computer programming, object-based programming, project design and planning, group work, engineering, and working with your hands. You will have the opportunity to complete multiple robotics investigations involving inquiry and guided research, problem solving, working in teams, and documentation as they investigate how robots make decisions and navigate their environment.

Robot Building Guides (All good base robots for challenges)

NXT Five Minute Bot

Robot Educator Model

Taskbot

Presentations and Challenges (typically used as as an intro as part of the Tech Ed class)

Challenge 1 - Forward and Back

Challenge 2 - It's the Robot's Turn

Challenge 3 - Things That Go Bump

Challenge 4 - The Maze 

In our Exploring Robotics class, we use a complete multimedia curriculum and do a different set of challenges.

Our main curriculum is Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Academy's Robotics Engineering Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. This multimedia curriculum is an ideal tool to introduce robots.

In Vol. 1, Students learn how to program basic robot behaviors using motors and rotation, sound, light, touch and ultrasonic sensors. Fifteen in-depth research lessons are based on real-world robots. Step-by-step videos teach students how to use the programming language, build robots, basic robot behavior, use of sensors, robot competition, etc.

In Vol. 2, students develop innovative robotic solutions to open-ended engineering problems.

Ideas for Projects

http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/Community/NXTLog/default.aspx is a great resource for ideas for our building challenges. Remember, some models found there are good solutions and some are not. They can always be improved upon. It also important that you understand how the solution works - this understanding is part of your grade.

Links

http://www.ortop.org/NXT_Tutorial/html/essentials.html - Great intro tutorial complete with videos

http://www.ortop.org/NXT_Tutorial/html/advanced.html - A good set of videos on advanced techniques

http://www.centraltexasfll.org/

http://www.firstlegoleague.org/

http://mindstorms.lego.com/

http://www.lego.com/education

http://www.nxtprograms.com/index.html

http://www.domabotics.com/resources.php

http://www.legoengineering.com/ 

Video Tutorials

There are many, many video tutorials available on YouTube. Several are shown below (but there are lots of others). 

To view a tutorial, select one from the list and press Play (or simply click the video). To view the tutorials full screen, click the full screen  button at the buttom of the video.