Go to Teach-Ict and view the presentation (the bottom one).
See if you can get all the questions in the quiz right.
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Blockpusher
Watch this movie which shows you how to make a blockpusher – stop and start it while you follow the instructions and make your own.
Zook Report
Your zook report needs to have (and will be marked on):
- Pictures of the insect/animal your zook is based on.
- screenshots of the zook you have made
- The settings (variables) for one of the legs
- The settings (variables) for the main body
- A description of how you made the zook
- How close is the zook to your original idea
- Hypothesis (idea) for making you zook move faster (you should have at least THREE of these)
- Results of your changes – did your hypothesis work?
You will be marked on the IMPROVEMENTS made to your zook – so even if it is a slow zook, if you improve the speed/movement by a good factor you can still get maximum marks.
Computer Modelling
Look at these website for traffic modelling on computer:
http://www.traffic-simulation.de/
Also these short movies for visualising traffic
http://www.vwi.tu-dresden.de/~treiber/movie3d/index.html
Here is a list of computer simulations from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_simulation#Examples
Homework – Find one of the simulations which interests you and play around with the different variables
Bamzooki Modelling
Download this modelling worksheet and complete
Modelling_Basics
Find THREE things which are modelled by computer – put them at the end of your worksheet.
Now work on your sprinter zook – look at some of the website sprinters to give you ideas
Bamzooki Jan 18
A) Read about Jules the robot with the human-like facial expressions.
Jules Article in the daily Mail newspaper
Answer these questions in Word:
- What is Jules?
- Do you think his face is realistic?
- Do you think his expressions are realistic?
- Which expression is the most convincing?
- How many internal motors has Jules got?
- How many emotions does Jules display?
- Where could ‘human’ robots be used?
- Are there any dangers associated with human robots?
- There is a human robot going on sale in Japan soon. What is its name?
- How much will it cost?
B) Continue working on your sprinter zook. It must be based on a real animal or insect. Put images of your zook and the animal it is based on in your research diary word document.
Extension – Look at the robots in Robots Dreams (including the incredible Parrot hover drone)
Bamzooki Jan 14
This is Big Dog – a robot developed for military use – it is very stable and can carry materials as well as people.
A) In Word write about Robotics (answer these questions) with a paragraph on each
- How lifelike are today’s robots?
- Can a robot make a human think it is another human?
- What is the Turing test?
- Who was Alan Turing?
- What was Bletchley Park?
- What was an Enigma machine?
- What was Colossus?
- Find some information about Big Dog
- What can Big Dog do?
- Are there any robots which act like humans?
- Are there any companies which sell robots?
- Do you think robots are a good or bad thing? Say why.
B) Configure the video settings for the Bamzooki Simulator and Motion Player to ‘Windowed’ so that they start in a new window.
Start the Bamzooki Simulator
Have a go with different zooks
Now work on your own zook
Homework – Read about Robots here http://42explore.com/robots.htm
Bamzooki interface Jan 13
Let’s take a look at the Bamzooki interface in more detail.
We have seen how the Zooks can be tested through the Zook Kit in:
1) Sprint
2) High Jump
3) Hurdles
4) Block Push
All you have to do is press the TEST button
1) With the ant example try each test in turn
2) Record the results in a Word document
3) Select a zook for each event from the website zooks and record the scores
4) Which website zook is best at sprinting/hurdles/blockpush/lap/highjump?
You can also change the environment
Try out the different environments with different zooks
Describe what each one is
Record your results in your word document
MOTION
Let’s look now at MOTION
Here is a basic leg sequence which comes from living animals and insects
Now download the Bamzooki Manual
bamzooki_zookkitusermanual_v3_2
Read pages 17 – 22
Experiment with a new zook
Make sure the legs are symmetrical
Try and make the legs move with good regular motion
Who has the fastest zook?
Bamzooki Jan 12
Bamzooki Interface
Download this worksheet on the Bamzooki interface
Make sure you put your name and class on the top.
Don’t rush this – put as much information about the Bamzooki tools as you can.
Add THREE tools of your own choice and say what they do.
When you have finished ask if you can print.
Making a Basic Moving Zook
Look at this movie by Canary Woolf from the Bamzooki website.
Follow the steps and make one like he does.
Blip.tv Version
Bamzooki
Bamzooki is a programme on the BBC where electronic creatures called zooks compete with each other.
There are sprinter zooks and block pusher zooks. Sprinters have small bodies with thin fast legs like spiders (6 or 8 legs). Block Pushers have squat strong bodies with many sets of legs like centipedes.
We will make a sprinter that moves like a real animal or insect
But first we need to look at the way animals move and especially how their legs move.
Animal movement in the real world
Scientists at Berkeley are looking at the real world to help them design robots
- Make a folder called Bamzooki in your Home drive
- Open Word and make a title Bamzooki with your name and Class
- Save the document as bamzooki_yourlastname in your Bamzooki folder
- Put your name and class at the top and the title Bamzooki with the date
- look at the following 8 minute film
Work in pairs but answer the following questions in your own Word document
- Where is the research taking place?
- What does ROACH stand for?
- What does the scientist compare the state of robotics to?
- A scientist at Berkeley picks up a cockroach – what kind of cockroach is it?
- Look at the way this cockroach moves – write down the sequence of its legs moving.
- Use smartshapes in word to draw a square ( with lines to represent legs) and show the order that the legs move.
- How does Professor Ron Fearing describe real animals insects (Organisms) movement?
- In a paragraph describe the steps that go into making the body and legs of a Robo Roach
- Look at the crab – what order do its legs go in?
- What toy does the scientist compare the springiness of all 2, 4, 6 and 8 legged organisms to?
- Look at Robo Roach carefully – what is the order of its legs moving?
- What practical use could Robo Roaches be after a disaster and why?
- Describe another practical use.
- Write a paragraph about Geckos and why they are interesting to scientists.
The Bamzooki Interface
Let’s take a look at the Bamzooki program
Open up the Zook Kit
Press on the Website Zooks tab
Open up one of the website zooks – save it.
Press TEST to get the zook moving.
Play around and have some fun getting to know the interface.
Make the zook sprint or block push
See if your zook is faster or stronger than your partner’s.
SHORTCUTS
You can STOP the zook by clicking on the EDIT TOOL
You can ADD parts to the zook by clicking on the ADD TOOL
You can go around and under your zook by using the RIGHT mouse button
HOMEWORK
Go to this excellent site for animal movies
Pick TWO animals or insects and write a paragraph on how each moves (in Word) and bring in next time.