Session 6: April 16
Series 2, Session 2
Calibration, Control, and Precision Driving
Career Spotlight: Maintenance and Automation Technician
Maintenance and automation technicians test, adjust, and repair machines so they work correctly and safely. At ports and warehouses, these workers help keep automated equipment moving where it needs to go.
Today’s Mission
Test your Cyber:bot, notice how it moves, and make it drive better.
Success Today
By the end of class, your team should be able to:
- test robot movement
- notice what needs adjustment
- improve how your robot drives
Today’s Flow
- Launch
- Test movement
- Adjust and retest
- Driving challenge
- Share out
Main Challenge
Make Your Robot Drive Better
Your team will test how your robot moves and make small changes to improve it.
Focus on:
- moving forward
- stopping
- driving straighter
- improving after each test
Steps
- Get your robot ready.
- Open your movement code in MakeCode.
- Test your robot on a short path.
- Watch closely.
- Notice if it drifts left or right.
- Adjust your code.
- Test again.
- Keep improving.
Important Reminder
Some robots need different speeds on p18 and p19 to drive straighter.
That is normal.
Real robotics work includes testing, adjusting, and trying again.
Driving Challenge
Use the tape path or cones to test your robot.
Try to:
- start in the right place
- drive through the path
- make one improvement after each test
If Your Robot Is Still Not Ready
If your robot still needs build support, focus on:
- finishing the parts needed for movement
- checking connections
- getting ready for your first movement test
Once your robot is ready, join the driving challenge.
Level Up
If your robot is working well, try:
- a longer path
- a turn, stop, and forward sequence
- recording the settings that work best for your robot
If You Get Stuck
Check:
- Is your robot fully connected?
- Does it move at all?
- Does it drift?
- Did you change one thing at a time?
Closing Share
Be ready to share:
- what your robot did
- one change you made
- one improvement you noticed
- one job skill you used today
Sentence Starters
- Our robot was…
- One change we made was…
- We improved by…
- A job skill we used today was…
Wrap Up
Today you worked like a robotics technician by testing, adjusting, and improving machine movement.
Start Here: First-Time Builders
Your Job Today
You are working to finish the parts of your Cyber:bot needed for movement and begin your first movement tests.
Steps
- Meet with your partner and get your robot and materials.
- Continue building the robot if needed.
- Open the Cyber:bot tutorial page and follow the next steps carefully.
- Check that your robot is assembled correctly before testing movement.
- Begin a simple movement test when your teacher says you are ready.
- Watch carefully to see what your robot does.
Important Reminders
- Build carefully so your robot can move correctly later.
- Do not rush into testing if the build is not ready.
- Both partners should be involved in building and testing.
- It is normal if your robot does not work perfectly the first time.
First Driving Check
When your robot is ready, test:
- Does it move?
- Does it stop?
- Does it go mostly where you expected?
- Does it drift left or right?
When You Finish
- Repeat your movement test
- Write down what your robot did
- Try to explain what your code is telling the robot to do
- Get ready to try a short taped path if your teacher says your robot is ready
Continue Your Work: Returning Technicians
Your Job Today
You are continuing your work by testing, calibrating, and improving your Cyber:bot’s movement.
Steps
- Get your returning robot and set up your workspace.
- Open MakeCode and load your movement code.
- Test your robot on a short straight path.
- Watch carefully to see whether it drives straight or drifts.
- Adjust your settings as needed.
- Test again after every change.
- Record what works best for your robot.
Important Reminders
- Different robots may need different settings.
- Real technicians test, adjust, and test again.
- Make one change at a time when possible.
- Notice what p18 and p19 are doing on your robot.
Returning Technician Challenge
See if you can make your robot:
- Drive forward more accurately
- Stop where you want it to stop
- Travel through a short taped lane or around cones with better control
Calibration Notes
Some robots need different speeds on p18 and p19 to roll straighter. That is normal in this workshop. Your job is to figure out what your robot needs.
When You Finish
- Try your robot on a longer path
- Test a turn, stop, and forward sequence
- Help another team by explaining how you tested and adjusted
- Be ready to share what settings worked best for your robot
Precision Driving Challenge
Your Challenge
Use the blue tape path or cones to test how accurately your Cyber:bot can move.
Your team should try to:
- Start in the correct place
- Drive through the path as accurately as possible
- Adjust your code based on what happens
- Improve after each test
Challenge Tips
- Watch the robot closely each time
- Do not guess blindly
- Change one thing, then test again
- Good engineers learn from each attempt
Quick Checkpoint
Before class ends, make sure your team can answer these questions:
- What did our robot do during testing?
- What did we adjust?
- Did our robot improve?
- What do we want to try next?
Closing Share
Be ready to share one of these:
- One thing your robot did during testing
- One adjustment your team made
- One problem your team is still working on
- One job skill you used today
Sentence Starters
- Today our robot did…
- We noticed that our robot…
- One adjustment we made was…
- A job skill we used today was…
Today you worked like a real maintenance and automation technician by testing, adjusting, and improving how a machine performs.