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Explorers
of the Universe
Tennessee
State University
The Robotics Case Study
Robotics
Written by Bill Rodriguez, University School of Nashville
Situation/Problem
Robots are devices which operate by following a set of instructions. The level of complexity of those instructions vary tremendously between robots. Why do we build robots? They always seem to turn against up in the movies! Think about tasks which humans find terribly boring (and therefore hard to do over and over reliably) as well as tasks which are very dangerous for humans to attempt. In either case a robot fits the bill very nicely. Automobile assembly lines, rovers for other planets, deep sea robots, and camera carrying robots for the inside of the containment dome at a nuclear facility all are examples of where a robot will operate more efficiently or allow us to gather information we could not before the robot was in use. Another area to consider when deciding on the use of robotics is the level of precision required when taking measurements or completing a task. In other words, if a piece of metal must be picked up from one location and placed in another, how precisely must the piece of metal be placed?
Thematic Organizer Robots and robotic devices have been a part of the media for many years. You must have seen a movie or read a book in which robots play an important role. Unfortunately, it seems as if robots always want to attack the earth and conquer it. However, in real life, robots are not quite as agressive nor are they usually given the ability to think. Consider a very simple robot - one designed to sweep the floor. Just mount a switch on both the front and back of a vacuum cleaner that causes a drive motor to reverse directions when the switch is pushed. Now, turn the robot on and watch it go around bumping into objects and vacuuming the floor. It will not be very efficient, but it will eventually get the job done. Try this with Legos! Lego makes motors, gears, switches, temperature, and light sensors and an interface which allows these to be connected to a computer. Once connected, a device can be controlled by the computer software. Take a look a the reference material the Lego company has on its website at http://www.legomindstorms.com/. For background information take time to find a good story about a robot. How is it cast in the story? Is it helpful? Evil? What conflicts doe the robot have with humans? How about the opposite, what conflicts do we have with the robots? Think about transformers - robots with a life! Placing robots on another planet is another use for these devices. Sojourner was very successful on the surface of Mars. This small robot moved around and collected data for many weeks until running out of battery power. The Viking satellite was a robot after it landed on Mars in the 70s. It carried out experiments which measured temeprature, the makeup of the martian soil and other tests of this foriegn planet. Using the Astroweb site at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/astronomy.html find more information about the Sojourner and Viking probes. Remember that as you find information and propose interesting ideas, you must record your answers in your Electronic Notebook. The notebook is a critical part of the Explorers case study program. What is a telescope? What are some advantages of robotic telescopes? What are some disadvantages of robotic telescopes? Give an example of where it is much better to use a robotic device rather than a human for a specific task related to astronomy. Write your thoughts in the Electronic Notebook now. As you proceed
with your case investigation relate what you know
to Directions: Read
the statements below. Then read the information
that Upon completion, discuss your responses to these statements with your teacher and/or other students who are interested in investigating aspects of this case. After your discussion, review your Research Questions that you entered in the Electronic Notebook earlier. Have you narrowed your case investigation with this topic? If so, do you need to restate your Research Questions? Remember to keep your Vee Diagram and Concept Map current as you conduct your research. Always add concept definitions to the Vee as well as corectly placing the concept in the Concept Map. This will be a tremendous aid to you as you think about your topic. _____ 1. The use of automated (robotic) telescopes is a relevant topic for investigation. _____ 2. Robotic systems present many problems that make them inefficient and not worth the effort or expense of building them. _____ 3. Robots can be programmed to perform repetitive tasks more carefully than humans. _____4. Robotic telescopes can offer greater precision than human operated telescopes. _____5. It is a simple task to design and build an automated telescope. _____6. Scheduling observations is far easier using a robotic system than a human operated system. |
Background
Tennessee State University automated telescope information. http://schwab.tsuniv.edu/aagroup.html
General Background Information Related to Telescopes and Robotics Automated or robotic machines have been around for quite a while. There were many reasons for using automated machinery such as for boring or dangerous tasks. Think about using a telescope to acquire data at the top of a mountain. Observatories can not be heated or cooled, but must maintain the same temperature as the outside air. Sounds a bit brisk doesn't it? Well, what kind of efficiency do you think humans have working hour upon hour in a low oxygen environment with a below freezing temperature? Also think about the manner in which data is collected. It doesn't matter if you are taking photoelectric data (measuring the brightness of a singlestar) or capturing CCD images, you still must take multiple measurements to make a single observation. For example, you need to know the value (brightness) of the sky so that you can subtract it from the brightness of a star so that measure only the true brightness of the star. This alone requires at least two measurements. Thinking about your science courses, you probably remember making many trials and then averaging the trials to try and minimize errors. Well, astronomers do this as well and so the number of measurements that must be taken to ensure an accurate observation increases. As you can see this is not a trivial matter. The telescope operator must concentrate and do precision work in a harsh environment to acquire good data.
Possible Areas for Exploring
As part of your case study you will become proficient at the use of Legos for building models of automated telescopes. During this part of your case you must record in drawing and digital picture form various attempts and the analysis for each attempt. Make sure your electronic notebook is kept current. This will not only help your teacher and others involved in the project converse with you about your work, but will also reinforce the idea that as one learns one needs to take accurate notes for future use.
The Lego site is an excellent resource for help in designing the different parts of your automated telescope. Also review the Fairborn Observatory website and the readings mentioned earlier. You might schedule an interview with Greg Henry, the prinicipal astronomer of the 10" telescope at the Fairborn Observatory we use to collect our photometric data. The AstroWeb site - http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/astronomy.html - has a very good search engine that is limited to astronomy related sites. Use it to find other robotic telescopes and learn about them. Refer to the Explorers of the Universe CD Case Guide for guidelines in formulating your topic of interest and your research questions. During your research please continue to review the CD Case Guide to keep you focused as well as to help you build a solid case along with the physical model. Do not let the building of the model become the overwhelming part of your case.
Requirements:
1. Have a password for entry into the restricted area of the Explorers of the Universe website.
2. Follow the components given in the Action Research Strategy.
3. Review the components needed in your final paper.
4. Construct hierarchical concept maps of your ideas and your case report using Inspiration 5.0.
5. Begin formulating your case research investigation by using the ideas from your concept map to plan your study on the Interactive Vee Diagram.
6. Make use of the Electronic Notebook to record your thoughts and feelings, at each stage, as your case progresses.
7. Use your working portfolio to store your records as your case evolves (e.g., concept maps, vee diagrams, e-mail exchanges, interviews, photographs, mathematical calculations, charts, graphs, tables, figures, audio and video recordings, models, poems, musical lyrics and melodies, artifacts, blueprints, art work, and so forth).
8. Build or construct a model (physical or computer simulation) of your robotic project. You may want to use Legos. If you build a physical model, take a digital photograph for display in the appendix of your case report.
9. Final paper of your case research with references and appendices (see CD Case Guide).