Thames & Kosmos DLX, Experiment Manual, Page: 13 / 132

WANT MO
RE?
Moving delicate cargo with
the robotic arm
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled robotic arm
› IR remote control
› 5 AA batteries or 5 AA rechargeable batteries
› 4 or more boxes (see page 127)
› Experiment kit packaging
› Coin
HERE’S HOW
1. Set the robotic arm someplace where it will have
enough room to move. Perform a test run to
familiarize yourself with its controls and to be sure
you know which touch pad buttons you use to steer it.
2. Are you ready to start? Pile up a stack of four (or more)
boxes within easy reach of the arm.
3. Steer the robotic arm so that it grabs the top box. Lift
up the box and rotate the robotic arm 180 degrees, or a
half-circle.
4. Carefully set down the box and release it. Lift the arm
straight up so it doesn’t knock over the box as it moves
away.
5. Move the arm back to the original stack, grab the next
box, and move it to the new stack. Keep going until you
have brought the entire stack to the new location.
6. Or, you can try transporting all of the boxes at once. Or
try using a support platform for your cargo, such as
the experiment kit box.
7. And now for the ultimate challenge: Set a coin on its
edge, grab it with the robotic arm, and set it back down
on its edge again!
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The touch pad works more or less the same as the
touch pad of a tablet computer or a smart phone.
When you touch a button with your finger, it triggers
the remote control’s electronics to make the motor
turn. See how much pressure you have to apply and
for how long in order to get the motor to turn a
desired amount.
If you want, you can control all three motors at
the same time, and in any combination. In other
words, you can make them all move in the same
direction or make one move in a different direction
from the others. Sudden changes from left to
right or vice versa are also possible.
Organize a little
competition: Who can
load the cargo the fastest?
Try to save time by
operating the motors
simultaneously rather
than in sequence.
EXPERIMENT 1
11
The Robotic Arm