Introduction to Robotics/Robotics and BoeBots/Lab

The most important thing to learn on the first day of lab are the necessary safety policies of the Lab. Students will be warned about the lab equipment, and will be asked to fill out a worksheet with all the necessary safety information.

Some teachers may also ask the students to sign a laboratory use contract. The contract will ask the students not to abuse or misuse the equipment, not to act in an unsafe manner, and to obey the lab instructor at all times. Students who break the contract later could be asked to leave the lab.

The first part of this lab will more closely resemble a lecture then any kind of hands-on learning activity. If the lab instructor is different from the lecture instructor, this may be a good time to get to know him or her.

The second part of this lab will introduce the students to the BoeBots. If possible, each student should receive a BoeBot, along with the necessary cables (power cable and serial programming cable) and a box to store the robot in. Because of the differences in calibration between robots, it is a good idea if an individual student or a group of students all use the same robot throughout the entire course.