Computer Science
Grade 7
20 min
Lesson 8: Robot Navigation: Moving Around in a Space
Introduce basic robot navigation techniques (e.g., obstacle avoidance, line following).
What you'll learn
- Identify at least three different types of sensors (e.g., distance, light, touch) that robots can use to navigate a space.
- Solve a given sequence of robot navigation commands (e.g., move forward 10 cm, turn right 90 degrees) and predict the robot's final position within 10 cm of accuracy on a designated grid.
- Explain, in their own words, the relationship between sensor data and the actions a robot takes to navigate a space, providing at least two specific examples.
- Apply a basic programming concept (e.g., conditional statements) to create a simple robot navigation program that can successfully navigate a pre-defined obstacle course with at least 80% accuracy.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Write a program to move a robot in a specific path, like a square.
Explain the concept of dead reckoning and why it can be inaccurate.
Use a 'for' loop to repeat a sequence of movement and turning commands.
Create and use a simple function to control the robot's turns.
Use a conditional statement (if/else) with a sensor to make a robot react to its environment.
Debug a simple navigation program by analyzing the robot's incorrect movements.
How does a robot vacuum cleaner know how to clean your whole room without just bumping into walls forever? 🤖
In this lesson, you'll learn the fundamental programming commands to make a robot move forward, turn, and repeat actions. These are the building blocks for creating robots that can navi...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
NavigationThe process a robot uses to figure out its location and plan a path to a destination.A robot vacuum cleaner uses navigation to create a map of a room and plan the most efficient way to clean the entire floor.
ActuatorA component of a robot that is responsible for movement. It's like a robot's muscles.The motors that spin the wheels on your robot are actuators.
Dead ReckoningA way of navigating by calculating your current position based on a known starting point, speed, and the time you've been moving. It doesn't use sensors to check the real world.If you tell a robot to move forward for 2 seconds at a certain speed, you are using dead reckoning to guess it moved 20cm. But if a wheel slips, it might have only moved 18cm.
SensorA device th...
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Core Syntax & Patterns
Movement Commands
robot.move(direction, duration_or_distance)
robot.turn(direction, degrees)
These are the basic functions to control the robot's actuators. You specify a direction ('forward', 'backward', 'left', 'right') and how much to move or turn. The exact command name might change depending on your robot's programming library.
Repetition with 'for' Loops
for i in range(number_of_times):
# Code to repeat goes here
# (indented)
Use a 'for' loop when you know exactly how many times you want to repeat an action. This is perfect for drawing shapes, like repeating 'move and turn' four times to make a square.
Decisions with 'if' Statements
if condition_is_true:
# Do thi...
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
A robot is programmed to draw a square using 90-degree turns. However, its right wheel is slightly larger than its left, causing every 'right' turn to be 92 degrees instead of 90. After completing the four move-and-turn sequences, where will the robot be relative to its starting point?
A.Exactly at the starting point, but facing slightly to the right.
B.Far to the right of the starting point.
C.It will not form a closed shape and will be slightly to the left of its starting point.
D.It will be exactly at the starting point, facing the original direction.
Challenging
Design an algorithm for a robot with one downward-facing light sensor to follow a black line on a white floor. The robot should stay on the line.
A.In a loop, if the sensor sees black, turn slightly right. If it sees white, turn slightly left.
B.Move forward for 10 seconds, then turn right 90 degrees, and repeat.
C.If the sensor sees black, stop. Otherwise, move forward.
D.Use dead reckoning to calculate the path of the line in advance.
Challenging
A student says, 'Using sensors for navigation is always better than using dead reckoning.' Which statement provides the best critique of this idea?
A.The student is correct because dead reckoning is always inaccurate.
B.The student is correct because sensors are cheaper than motors.
C.The student is incorrect because dead reckoning is faster and more accurate for long distances.
D.The student is incorrect because in some environments (like an empty, flat room with no landmarks), sensors may have nothing to detect, making dead reckoning necessary.
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Start Practicing FreeMore from Chapter 5: Robotics: Building and Programming Autonomous Machines
Lesson 1: What is a Robot? Defining Autonomous Machines
Lesson 2: Robot Components: Sensors, Actuators, and Controllers
Lesson 3: Types of Robots: Exploring Different Designs and Applications
Lesson 4: Introduction to Robot Programming: Giving Robots Instructions
Lesson 5: Basic Robot Movements: Controlling Motors and Actuators
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Lesson 8: Robot Navigation: Moving Around in a Space is a Grade 7 Computer Science lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Lesson 8: Robot Navigation: Moving Around in a Space?
You'll be able to: Identify at least three different types of sensors (e.g., distance, light, touch) that robots can use to navigate a space; Solve a given sequence of robot navigation commands (e.g., move forward 10 cm, turn right 90 degrees) and….
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