A robotics obstacle course project lets students design, build, program, and test a small robot that can move through a path without constant human control. It connects physics, engineering, computer science, and data analysis in one hands-on challenge. Platforms such as Arduino, micro:bit, and LEGO robotics make the project accessible because they combine motors, sensors, and code.
The goal is not only to finish the course, but to improve the robot through careful testing and redesign.
A successful obstacle-course robot senses its surroundings, makes decisions, and controls its wheels based on those decisions. Common sensors include infrared sensors for line or edge detection, ultrasonic sensors for distance measurement, and cameras for more advanced image-based navigation. Students can compare variables such as sensor type, sensor placement, wheel diameter, motor speed, and turning strategy.
A simple state machine can organize the robot code into states like drive forward, detect obstacle, turn, realign, and finish.
Key Facts
- Speed = distance / time
- Wheel circumference = pi d, where d is wheel diameter
- Distance traveled per wheel rotation = pi d
- A larger wheel diameter usually increases distance per rotation but may reduce torque at the floor.
- Ultrasonic distance sensors estimate distance using d = vt / 2, where v is sound speed and t is echo time.
- A state machine controls behavior by switching between defined states based on sensor readings.
Vocabulary
- Sensor
- A device that detects information from the environment, such as distance, light, color, or obstacles.
- Actuator
- A component that creates motion or action, such as a motor that turns a robot wheel.
- State machine
- A programming structure that divides robot behavior into clear states and rules for changing between them.
- Ultrasonic sensor
- A sensor that measures distance by sending out sound pulses and timing how long the echo takes to return.
- Calibration
- The process of adjusting sensor readings or control values so the robot behaves accurately in real conditions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Placing sensors too high or at the wrong angle, which can make the robot miss low obstacles or detect the floor instead of the object.
- Testing only one run, which is wrong because robot performance can vary due to battery level, floor friction, lighting, and starting position.
- Using motor speed values without measuring actual speed, which can make calculations and comparisons inaccurate because different motors and batteries behave differently.
- Writing one long block of code instead of using states, which makes it harder to debug decisions like turning, stopping, and realigning.
Practice Questions
- 1 A robot travels 2.4 meters through an obstacle course in 12 seconds. What is its average speed in meters per second?
- 2 A robot has wheels with a diameter of 6.0 cm. How far does the robot travel in one full wheel rotation, using circumference = pi d?
- 3 A robot with an ultrasonic sensor keeps turning too late and hits obstacles. Explain two design or programming changes that could help it avoid collisions more reliably.