Today during the robotics meeting we did a mini design
review of the robots that the kids created. We went over the design
features of their robots and gave them feedback on things that they could do to
improve their designs. Most of the robots used 1 connector per beam,
which caused their attachments to pivot. So we explained how putting two
connectors per beam would strengthen the structural integrity of the design and
make it more robust. We also cover the “KISS” concept:
·
K – eep
·
I – t
·
S – uper
·
S – imple
and went over the advantages of having a simpler design over
a more complex one, assuming that both achieved the required goal (simpler is
cheaper to make, faster to design and easier to debug).
This week concluded our section on motors. Next week
we’ll teach the kids about the ultrasonic sensor (what it is, how it works and
how to use it), and we may even start learning about loops and switches.
