Thames & Kosmos DLX, Experiment Manual, Page: 107 / 132

Dribbling
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled soccer game
› IR remote control
› 5 AA batteries or 5 AA rechargeable batteries
› Goal posts (made of short rods and axles)
› Masking tape
› Ping-pong ball (table tennis ball)
› Stop watch, note pad, and pen
HERE’S HOW
1. Assemble a slalom course like you did in Experiment
12. You can use axles inserted into short rods, and
space these about 50 centimeters apart in a straight
line.
2. Mark the start and finish lines with masking tape. The
starting point is just to the right of the first gate, and
the finish point is just to the left of it.
3. Have you familiarized yourself with the controls? If so,
drive your robot up to the starting point
4. Place the ball directly in front of the robot, ideally
between the foot and one of the wheels.
5. Ask someone to operate the stop watch. On your mark,
get set, go!
6. Now try pushing the ball through the gates while the
stop watch is running. At the last gate, turn the model
back toward the starting point.
7. Finally, cross the finish line with the ball to the left of
the first gate. It isn’t as easy as you might think. But
you’ll soon get the hang of it with a little practice!
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The robot in this experiment (as well as
Experiments 16 and 18) has special steering
controls. Unlike the dump truck in Experiment 14,
this robot is not controlled by an Ackerman
steering mechanism, which is common in cars and
trucks. The robots in the three soccer experiments
(16 through 18) are steered like a bulldozer —
with the motors moving independently on the
two sides.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the RoboCup’s Dance
league, students have
robots perform and dance
to music. A jury evaluates
the performances by
various criteria including
creativity. If you can
dribble well, you will
probably have a good touch for remote-controlled
dance movements too.
In the Rescue league, the
robots have to follow a
specified path and
recognize, recover, and
rescue an “injured person”
at the end of it. The task is
made harder by ramps,
gaps, and obstacles placed
on and next to the path
(see “Check it out,” page
43).
Who can dribble the longest around the
gates without making a mistake?
WANT MORE?
EXPERIMENT 17
105
Goooooal!