Tag: Physics

Energy losses

One of the most important topics of engineering and design is losses. In many classes, we ignore losses (such as friction) to simplify problems while learning the physics of engineering. But when we solve real life engineering problems, we need to be aware that losses are always present and are a big factor in design. In […]

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EV3 projectile launcher

This is the EV3 projectile launcher, inspired by RobotlCare’s Ball3r. The goal behind the EV3 Projectile Launcher is to provide students with a way to explore projectile motion by creating a LEGO EV3 robot to generate it. After creating the launch structure, students will need to derive a relationship between EV3 motor power, and the distance […]

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Going the distance

Build and program a robot car to drive as close as possible to a LEGO minfig, without knocking it over. Sounds easy? The catch is that you are not allowed to use any sensors and once you are told how far the minifig will be from the starting line, you will only get attempt. The […]

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Bulldozer

Design and construct a sturdy car that can push dirt, and program it to be controlled by touch sensors.      Tip 1 : How can the touch sensor be used to trigger the bulldozer to generate more torque? Resources Bulldozer Lesson Plan – NXT + NXT-G/ROBOLAB (PDF) Bulldozer Lesson Plan – RCX + ROBOLAB […]

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Echo locator

How could you build a device that uses sound to indicate the distance to the nearest object? For example, as an aid for a person with vision impairment. Other than using the Ultrasound Sensor, are there any other sensors that could be used to measure distance? Resources Echo Locator lesson plan – NXT-G (PDF)  

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Rotation sensor challenge

Rotation sensors are very important in the field of engineering because they track and measure the motion of rotating objects. The NXT motors and EV3 large motors have built- in rotation sensors that are accurate enough for most purposes, but what if you need something even more accurate? How can you design and construct a […]

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