CS 372 Artificial Intelligence

Robot Building Lab

Lab#1

---

This is the first lab. Today, we will:

• Form groups.
• Each group will be issued a lab kit containing the following items:
  1. A Handy Board Controller.
  2. A Serial Interface & Battery Charger Unit. This is used for connecting the Handy Board to the computer as well as charging the Handy Board's battery.
  3. A serial cable (for connecting the computer to the Serial Interface Unit). This is the cable you will use to connect to a Intel-based Linux station or a Windows-based computer. If you intend to do some of the work on an Apple Macintosh computer, ask for an additional cableset (and software).
  4. An RJ11 modular cable. This cable looks like (and is!) a regular phone cable. It is used for connecting the Serial Interface Unit with the Handy Board.
  5. A power adapter for the Handy Board.
  6. 2 9-volt LEGO motors.
  7. 2 9-volt LEGO cables.
  8. An activity box that can hold all of the above items.

  Please note that the total cost of all of the above items is $1000.00. These are mostly hard to replace parts, so treat them with utmost care (that is why we have provided the fancy box!).

• We will also have a bank of LEGO building materials. You may borrow items from the bank in order to build your robots. We will have a total of over 8000 little pieces! Once again, please, try to keep them organized in their bins. Make sure that you do not leave these lying around in the lab. Also, please do not stockpile/hoard LEGO pieces. Only take what you will use and return unused parts to the bins. Thanks!
• For the next week, build a LEGO vehicle. A good example is the LEGO Bug which you can try and build for starters. You will not be building the Touch Sensor assembly. So, ignore the instructions mentioned for the front half. You may need to substitute some bricks instead, in order to complete the assembly. Also, we do not have many 2x3 LEGO plates. However, you can either use 3 1x2 plates, or 2 1x3 plates instead.
• Experiment with other kinds of LEGO vehicles. Here are a couple of other fledgling designs: Vehicle 1, Vehicle 2. You will need to modify both designs a bit. But, with some modifications, you will be able to get a good working vehicle.
• In preparation for next week: Charge your Handy Board. Read the IC Manual and initialize the board.

Back to: Robot Lab Handout | CS372 Course Materials | Lab#2