Scratch and Finch Robots

GETTING STARTED WITH SCRATCH AND FINCH ROBOTS 1. Create a new folder on your student drive inside your Wired folder. Call it “finch and scratch”.

2. Download the zip file located on my website. You need to EXTRACT the files and save them IN YOUR FOLDER YOU MADE IN # 1 ABOVE.

3. Connect your finch robot to your computer. It must stay connected at all times.

4. Double click on the Bird Brain Robot Server Icon (looks like a little light bulb). You will HAVE to open this every time you use your finch robot with

Scratch. It looks like this:

5. Select the Finch icon. You are opening with Scratch.

6. The FIRST time you use the finch on your computer and login, you will need to load the finch blocks into scratch. Here are instructions:

a. Hold down the shift on the keyboard and click on the file menu.

b. Choose Import Experimental HTTP Extension

c. Choose finch.s2e from the folder where you put the finch files (the ones you downloaded and extracted from my website).

d. Now you will see the blocks for the finch to the right in the More Blocks category. These blocks will control the finch robot.

7. Remember that you MUST SAVE your program you create. As you work with your teammate, your program must be called: hour_lastname1_lastname2_finch

1 8. Your job is to solve a problem with your finch and to document how you went about solving that problem. Below is a list of four potential categories of problems you can solve and some tips for each of those problems. Choose one problem. Then, read the list of potential methods to DOCUMENT your project. Choose one method. Last … get to work! PROBLEM CATEGORY ONE: MAZE RACE

Ideas for Problems to solve----

Create an algorithm for the robot to make its way through a maze using the keyboard Race another finch to the finish Race through the maze without using the keyboard Race through the maze using light sensing Race through the maze sensing obstacles

Motion Commands  Move Finch Left: Right: Sets the power to the left and right wheels. The range is -100 to 100; for example Move Finch Left: 100 Right: 100 is full forward, Left: -100 Right: -100 is full backwards.  stop Finch: Stops the Finch

Looks Commands  Finch LED R: G: B: Sets the color of the Finch's beak, the R, G, and B arguments control the intensity of the red, green, and blue elements in the Finch's beak. Range is 0 to 100 for each color.

PROBLEM CATEGORY TWO: DRAWING ON PAPER

Ideas for Problems to solve---- Notch on front of Finch – use felt tip marker and tape to the back of it. Create artwork. Draw a picture. Draw shapes. Make it repeat the pattern.

PROBLEM CATEGORY THREE: SYNCHRONIZE TWO FINCH TO WORK TOGETHER

2 Ideas for Problems to solve---- Work with another group to create the same set of instructions for each of the finch. Start at the same time and have them function together. Next, have Finch create a synchronized “dance” where they move around each other to create a pattern. Create a way that each one stops at different times.

PROBLEM CATEGORY FOUR: SENSING and SOUNDS Help

Ideas for Problems to solve---- Play music when it’s moving or at a certain time Sense running into a wall and slow down Sense when it’s going straight and speed up led - RGB can set parameters different

Sound Commands  Finch Buzzer Hz ms: Plays the Finch's buzzer with a sound of the frequency specified for the time specified. Range is 20 to 20,000 for frequency.  Finch Buzz+Wait Hz ms: Does the exact same thing as Finch Buzzer, but also causes Snap! to halt further program execution for the amount of time specified.

Sensing Commands  Finch left and right light sensor: Returns the intensity of light hitting the left or right light sensor. The values are in a range from 0 to 100 where 0 is total darkness and 100 is saturation of the sensor.  Finch Light Sensors: Returns both left and right light sensor values as a list.  Finch X/Y/Z Acceleration: Returns the current g-forces measured along the Finch's X (beak to tail), Y (wheel to wheel), and Z (top to bottom) axes. Range is -1.5 to 1.5 gees.  Finch Accelerations: Returns the X, Y, and Z accelerations as a list  Finch Orientation: Returns the current orientation of the Finch, possible responses are: level, upside down, beak up, beak down, left wing down, right wing down, and in between.  Finch left and right obstacle sensors: These are Boolean or predicate blocks, returning true if an object is 1-4" from the sensor and false otherwise.  Finch Obstacles: Returns a list of containing the left and right obstacle sensor values.  Finch Temperature Celsius: Returns the current temperature in Celsius.  Finch Temperature Fahrenheit: Returns the current temperature in Fahrenheit.

3 Finch Robot Documentation

1. Decide how you want to create this documentation

2. Use phone, camera, online software….

a. What is available on the computer

a.i. Movie maker

a.ii. Google drive

a.ii.1. Google slide

a.iii. Prezi

b. What is available on phone

b.i. Many apps – imovie, imotion, video editor, stop motion, video star, splice…….. and many more

3. What to include

 2 names and state who did what

 What did you try to do

 What worked

 What didn’t work

 What did you end up programming the finch to do/accomplish?

 Images and video of what was created

4. How will you share this with Hasseld?

a. Google drive

b. Email – [email protected]

4 c. Drop it to me

5. ALSO DROP IT TO ME ---- your SCRATCH file – it’s a .SB2 file

a. Right click and change name to

a.i. Lastname_Lastname-finch (each person’s lastname)

6. You have shared with me two items ---- .SB2 file & documentation