LEGO robotics equipment
Special Lego Mindstorms NXT robotics kits are used to construct and program the robots students create; these kits include a series of electronic and construction materials. The most important kit components are:
NXT Microcomputer
The NXT is considered the brain of a Mindstorms robot. This is a micro-computer that allows a robot to become a self-propelled unit and perform different operations.
Sensors
The sensors allow the robot to receive data from the environment and modify their behavior. There are light, sound, ultrasonic, touch, and rotation sensors.
Servo motors
The actuators are what make robotic models move.
Mindstorms NXT 2.1 Software
The Mindstorms NXT 2.1 software lets you program the robot and upload programs to the NXT microcomputer.
Construction pieces
There are hundreds of construction items for different models and devices; among them pieces such as gears, shafts, rods, wheels, etc.
Go to the official LEGO Mindstorms site
Curriculum and educational resources
The centerpiece of the School Robotics Project is the T-Box curriculum which seeks to strengthen the following skills:
- Logical-mathematical reasoning.
- Application of scientific procedures.
- Problem-solving using technology.
The curriculum is structured in three levels:
Robotics 1
- Introduction to robotics
- Basic models
- Robotic Zoo
Robotics 2
- Inventions from the past, present, and future
Robotics 3
- The world of physics
Each level is gradually increases the complexity of these four elements:
1. Case difficulty.
3. Programming structures.
2. Construction type.
4. Sensor usage.
The educational materials that T-Box provides schools are:
- Teacher's guide.
- Activity book.
- Electronic resources:
- > Tutorials
- > Mini-encyclopedia
- > Exercise templates
Training and technical support
One of the project's main objectives is to train technology instructors and teachers in the field of robotics. This training process ensures that the curriculum is properly implemented and that projects be created in conjunction with other academic areas such as science or math.
The objectives of the training course are:
- Acquire the pedagogical foundations which help implement the School Robotics Project.
- Develop the basic knowledge and skills which will allow them to build and program robots.
- Understand how robotics can be used to reinforce and teach topics like technology and physics.
