Robots in the laboratory

Abstract

A $70 toy robot has been successfully used in Computer Science undergraduate laboratory courses in teal-time programming and advanced operating systems to provide students with hands on experience.A custom designed interface card connects a Radio Shack Armatron toy mobile robot with an IBM PC. To provide sensory input and hence introduce feedback, the robot is shackled to a track fitted with sensors. Extra sensors in the robot's environment allow challenging experiments such as picking up an object from a moving belt.While progrznming the robot and its environment in Turbo Pascal, the students learn how to write s&ware drivers to control low level hardware mat requires real-time response. This experimental design obviates the need to use sophisticated test equipment or special software development tools, and so the robot has transformed potentially routine courses into a exciting and fultilling learning experiences.