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Maqueen Workshop for Kids

by https://www.vorburger.ch and work colleagues (anon)

This is the English version; there is also a German translation.

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Agenda

What is a computer?
Your own (tiny) computer!
What is a robot?
Assemble your robot!
Make your robot move!
Follow the line!
What’s next?

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What is a computer?

LeT’s play a quiz... Is this a computer?

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This is Rebekah. She’s fixing some computer in one of Google’s datacenters in the Netherlands.

We have people like Rebekah to thank for making the internet work. Datacenters are used when you do things like:

Play a game on a server, like Minecraft, Animal Crossings, FortNite, or Among Us
Watch a video online with YouTube, Disney+, or Netflix
Do a Google Search
Translate something with Google Translate or DeepL
Stream music
Talk to your Google Home

All around Rebekah are what we call racks. And in each rack are a bunch of those servers… the computers without screens.

And all these servers are connected with wires. You can see a bunch of those wires right now.

There could be hundreds of people connecting to those computers right now, playing games or doing Google searches.

But it isn’t just a small room like this….

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Google Home Mini

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Fitbit

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~10’ into

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YOUR own new (tiny) computer

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Our robot “brains”

Important: Hold the controller board by the sides!

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Our robot “brains”

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Let’s get started!

Navigate to https://makecode.microbit.org�There are lots of potential beginner projects, but we’ll skip them
Click on New Project

Give it any name you want

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Let’s build a dice roller

Click on Input

Drag On Shake block to work area

Click on Basic

Drag show number into on-shake

Click on Math

Drag pick random 0 to 10�into show number

Change the numbers to 1 and 9

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Try your program in the simulator

https://makecode.microbit.org/_TqCRuAid1CL9

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Let’s program the controller

Unpack micro:bit
Plug in the USB cord into the computer and into micro:bit
Press [...] button next to Download in your project
Do you have a Connect Device button?

Yes? Click Connect Device and follow the instructions. Then, click download.
No? Click Download, which should download a microbit-*****.hex file. Drag that file into the MICROBIT drive.

Yellow LED will start blinking
When the blinking stops the controller is programmed
Play with your electronic dice roller

It should appear as a disk (MICROBIT)

Hold micro:bit by the edges!�(But later hold the robot on wheels.)

Do not unplug the USB cord while the light is blinking!

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More sides

Fewer sides

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Changing the possible dice rolls

Click on Variables

Click on Make a Variable…
Name it maxDiceValue
Drag set maxDiceValue to 0 into on start block
Change 0 to 6

Click on Input

Drag On Shake block to work area

Click on Basic

Drag show number into on-shake

Click on Math

Drag pick random 0 to 10 into show number

Change 0 to 1
Drag maxDiceValue from Variables to replace 10

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Program buttons

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~30’ into

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What is a robot?

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DIY ?

DIY = “Do-It-Yourself”

Let’s build one!

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Your Maqueen robot

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What can Maqueen “see”

Infrared light sensor

Ultrasonic sensor

interface

Infrared line-tracking sensors

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What can Maqueen show

Right LED

Left LED

Line-tracking status LEDs

Color LEDs (RGB)

Power on

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What can Maqueen do

Buzzer to make sounds

Left motor

Right motor

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How do we control Maqueen

Buzzer switch

On/off switch

micro:bit interface

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Let’s assemble the robot step by step

Assemble wheels and tires.
Find the battery holder.
Find double-sided tape.
Glue one side of the tape as shown

DO NOT HURRY!

WAIT FOR EVERYONE!

Tape goes here

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Assembly continued...

Plug in the battery cord into the board
Glue the battery holder to the wheel motor cases
Plug in the ultrasonic sensor

DO NOT HURRY!

WAIT FOR EVERYONE!

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Finish assembly

Plug in the micro:bit board with LEDs facing towards the ultrasonic sensor
Insert batteries

DO NOT HURRY!

WAIT FOR EVERYONE!

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Battery Insertion⚠️

You HAVE to make sure the batteries are inserted with the correct +/- “Polarity”.

If you put them in the wrong way, the robot will 👩‍🚒 BURN and Google will 🧨 EXPLODE.

Actually not really (the latter, but the former could). Ask your Table Lead to help or check!

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Configure MakeCode

Click on +Extensions
Click on the “maqueen” picture (below)
You now have new Maqueen blocks

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Simple first program

When button A is pressed then:

Turn on the lights
Turn on one motor

Download and transfer to micro:bit:

Switch the robot off!
Connect USB cable (You can leave the micro:bit in the robot)
Download
Unplug USB cable
Switch robot on

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~90’ into

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Second program, with the ultrasonic sensor

Did it fall off the table? ;-)

Stop the motor and turn off the lights when its ultrasonic sensor sees something is within 10cm.

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Navigate!

Make your robot wander around the room without crashing into anything.

Instead of stopping when it sees something in the way, what should it do?

Other ideas:

Use the LED lights as turn/reverse signals.
Increase and decrease speed when buttons pressed or near an obstacle.
Make it play some music when it moves.
Make it stop and play rock paper scissors with you when it hears a loud sound.
ANY other ideas you have... it’s yours now!

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Example solutions

Navigating around obstacles example solution & demo.

Changing speed around obstacles example solution.

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Idea: Make Lights blink!

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~120’ into

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Follow the Yellow brick road

Black line

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Our mission: get Maqueen to follow a route

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What do we do?

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What do we do? Go right!

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What do we do?

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What do we do? Turn left!

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What do we do?

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What do we do? Go straight!

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What do we do?

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What do we do????? Need to find our way!

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What do we do????? Run in a circle!

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Putting it all together

If both sensors are on the black strip�→ Go straight until we find the edge
If exactly one sensor is on the strip we know where the road is�→ Turn to try to get both sensors on the line
If no sensor is on the strip�→ We are lost�→ Try going in a circle to find the line

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Jump start with the code

https://makecode.microbit.org/_Uctasg4Pm1kf

Hint: don’t set the speed to high!

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Maqueen: More things, to try out at home!

Suggestions from DF Robot site�
More fun: www.vorburger.ch/kids-edutainment-links

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Appendix

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Simple follow-the-line solution

You’ll have to adjust the speed for your robot.

https://makecode.microbit.org/_PFF11tas0E6o

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Possible alternative follow-the-line solution

You’ll have to adjust the speed for your robot.

[mkel@:] This solution takes a different approach to the problem (slides 51-59 don't apply), which I found easy to explain.��Rather than "follow a line", the goal is to stay between lines - e.g., following a race track. It still works well with a single circle.��The explanation goes as follows: when the floor is white, both motors should run - we go straight. If we touch a line on the left (left "eye" sees dark), we need to veer to the right - which we do by stopping the right motor. As soon as the left eye sees white again, the right motor can start running again. The same goes for touching a line on the right: we need to turn off/on the left motor. ��The tricky part (like with the other solution) is the speed - especially with the V2 model, the minimum practical speed (around 15-20) is already quite fast. Speed 20 with the circle distributed in the box has worked well in 2023.