What's Under the Covers?  A Hands-On Introduction to Computers

COMP006-001, fall semester 2001

 

 

Instructor:

Anselmo Lastra

Email: lastra@cs.unc.edu

Office: Sitterson 256

Office house: TBA

Phone: 962-1958

 

Lab Assistants:

Mr. Justin Denton

Email: denton@cs.unc.edu

 

Ms. Sarah Khanani

Email: khanani@cs.unc.edu

 

Class Times:

The scheduled times are Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 to 12:15. However, we’d like to make the Thursday class into a longer lab. The first day of class we’ll compare schedules to see what times are open.

 

Web page:

            http://www.cs.unc.edu/~lastra/comp006

 

Textbook:

            Definitive Guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS by Dan Baum.

 

Goals:

 

Presentations

 

Student presentations run from the week of 9/11 through the week of 10/30.  Team up with another student and select one of the following topics:

·        LEGO Design

·        Sensors/Effectors

·        H8 Architecture

·        LegOS

·        Communication

·        Tracking

·        Motion Planning

·        Web Control

 

I’ll provide references to background material.  You should prepare a talk (each of you should speak about 20 minutes, half the allotted time) with PowerPoint slides, and a handout.
Tentative Schedule:

 

Week

 

Class

Lab

1

21-Aug

Introduction

Sort/catalog parts, assemble Tankbot robot, program in  RCX Code, modify program to perform task -- follow route, go to specific spot

2

28-Aug

NQC

Reprogram lab 1 robot in NQC, add switches, navigate maze

3

4-Sep

PPT/Web/Video

Light -- stripe following in NQC

4

11-Sep

LEGO design

Light stripe II

5

18-Sep

Sensors

Dead Reckoning. Use turn counter.

6

25-Sep

H8 Architecture

Build an arm to move a Coke can.

7

2-Oct

LegOS

Coke can moving robot design

8

9-Oct

Communication

Coke can moving contest

9

16-Oct

Tracking

Fall break

10

23-Oct

Motion planning

Cooperating robots

11

30-Oct

Web control

Traking, perhaps triangulation with lamps as beacons

12

6-Nov

Artificial Life

Locomotion -- robot with something besides tracks/wheels

13

13-Nov

Genetic Programming

Control over web (perhaps build camera with remote pan/tilt)

14

20-Nov

Computer Vision

THANKSGIVING BREAK

15

27-Nov

Is AI possible?

Contest prep

16

4-Dec

<< Open >>

Contest prep

 

 

Exams 12/10 - 12

Final contest, maybe during reading day

 

Dates shown in gray are for student presentations. You can also request mini-seminars from me on particular topics. The topics later in the semester are subject to change to suit class interest.

 

Grades

Your grade will be based on your presentation (25%), the labs (including the reports, 35%), the midterm (10%) and final (20%) contests, and your participation during discussions (10%).