Description:

Make your first (fully analog) robot! In this class, students will make a flashlight-following robot, using only old-fashioned analog components.

Robotics encompasses a wide range of engineering skills and knowledge. In this class students will gain familiarity with the areas of electrical and mechanical engineering and fabrication techniques required for making a fully analog robot. In other words, we will be making a robot that reacts to its environment without being controlled by a computer.

We will be discussing some Electrical Engineering theory, touching on circuits, some of Ohm's Laws and those of his friends, and real circuit components, like resistors, transistors, optoelectronics; energy storage devices, such as capacitors, inductors, and batteries; and actuators, such as motors.

Students will learn basic soldering skills, and refine them over the course of the day, culminating with building their own small robot that chases after a flashlight's beam like a cat.

This class is geared toward students aged 14-18, but adults are welcome! This is the first in what will be a series of robot making/design classes for beginner roboticists.

Class Goals:

At the end of the class, each student will be able to:

1. Show off their own personal self-made brand new Flashlight Following Robot!
2. Talk intelligently about how cool analog robots are and explain to others how their robot works
3. Understand basic robotics terminology and engineering principles, including the theory behind electrical and mechanical engineering
4. Solder ‘through hole’ electrical components on their own
5. Take more advanced Artisan's Asylum robotics classes

Prerequisites:

None

Materials Provided:

Robot components, including PCB, Motors, etc. A $20-25 materials cost is included in registration fee.

What to Bring:

Wear close-toed shoes.

Instructor Biography:

Dan Landers is a former Carpenter, Union Electrician, and Firefighter, so he knows how to make and break things. His most recent conquest was earning an Electrical Engineering degree with honors from Northeastern University. He has worked Sikorsky aircraft on giant helicopters and underwater robotics at Qinetiq-Foster Miller. Since joining Artisan’s Asylum, Dan been on Engadget, Hackaday, and SpikeTV and at Maker Faires with his Node.JS tank robot and is also a member of the Project Hexapod team working on the giant walking robot named "Stompy". Dan is currently in a PhD program in engineering, and is excited to be spreading the special joys and frustrations of the field of robotics to others.