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Robotics 101

November 21, 2008

A lab in Ross Hall became the home away from home for a group of students who worked seven days a week last summer on a self-initiated robotics project, funded by a $12,000 diversity grant awarded by the NASA-affiliated Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

Now, after logging more than 2,000 hours on their project, the senior Physics majors are entering the final stages of their journey, zeroing in on the impetus for the project. Using the eight robots they brought to life with custom-built chips they designed, the students anticipate offering an introductory robotics course next semester.

The class is a way for non-science majors, especially under-represented groups, to become familiar with robotics programming, said Casey Kuhns, who is leading the project. Kuhns teamed with Adam Wilson, Tyler Carson, and Kevin Jack, with a goal of making robotics less intimidating for the average student by removing the technology’s shroud.

"We want to show that anyone can do this," Kuhns said.

Students enrolled in the course will learn about using algorithms for programming and enmeshed networks that enable the set of seven small robots to communicate with one another. They will be able to program unique tasks for the robots to perform.

"The possibilities are limitless," Kuhns said. Wilson noted that the robots can take any reading that can be measured using a sensor, such as ambient temperature, surface mapping and altitude.

The robots are controlled wirelessly. The eighth robot, a 250-pound waterproof behemoth equipped with a camera and microphone, is powered by two heavy-duty boat batteries. It can travel up to 20 mph and the customized chip allows it to be maneuvered by logging into a secure Web page.

"I had someone I met online from Egypt driving this around," Wilson said.

As a built-in safety feature, a switch on the remote that also controls the robot serves as an emergency override in case someone gets carried away.

Their zest for knowledge coupled with their limited budget required the students to learn all facets of the operation and "fix their mistakes." They pinched pennies where they could, opting to buy remote-controlled tanks on eBay and using the tanks’ plastic shells as the body for the seven smaller robots. The big robot was recently in for repairs after an unexpected change in voltage blew out a chip that controlled the motor, which costs around $350 to replace. Fortunately, after disassembling the robot, the group discovered it was only a $7 part that malfunctioned.

"They’re displaying capabilities in students that you don’t normally see until graduate school or beyond," said Matthew Semak, a Physics faculty member who co-wrote the grant with Kuhns and will help teach the class.

Added Kuhns: "We’ve learned lots of interesting lessons."

And they’re ready to pass them on.

Introductory Robotics
The two-credit class will meet twice a week after 5 p.m. this spring. Prerequisites are not required and neither is a science background. For registration information, contact Matthew Semak, matthew.semak@unco.edu.

- Nate Haas

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