Your Robot
Botball® robot kits include 2 XBC robotics controllers, 1 iRobot Create platform, and enough sensors, motors, gears, and Lego building materials to create 2 robots for your team.
XBC Robotics Controller
Your Botball® kit includes 2 XBC Robotics Controllers. These controllers serve as a “brain” for Botball® robots, storing the programs that your team has written that instruct the robot on where and how to maneuver. Programs running on an XBC can take in input from a variety of sensors, and control a variety of motors and servos to maneuver your robot through the challenges of the Botball® arena.
The XBC is built on the Game Boy Advance (utilizing it’s processor, screen, and controls) and the Xport from Charmed Labs. It packs a lot of features (including a built in vision system and back-emf PID motor control) into a small, inexpensive robotics controller.
Motors & Gears
A variety of servos and motors are provided with each year’s kit, as well as the neccessary wires for controlling them from the XBC, and assorted gears to increase or decrease motor force and speed as needed by the design of your robots. These serve as the “muscles” of your robot, and will be usd to maneuver your robot, lift reaching arms, close grasping claws, and otherwise power the tools you give it for playing the Botball® game.
Sensors
Along with the integrated camera, a variety of analog and digital sensors are provided with your Botball® kit. The included sensors will allow your robots to “see” the starting light, measure the distance to various objects, find objects of specific colors, and collect all the other information that they will need to succeed in the Botball® arena. (Pictured to the left is the Sonar Range Finder.)
Programming
Botball® teams write programs to control their robots in a language called Interactive C (IC). You can download the latest version of IC from the Botball® Website at http://www.botball.org/educational-resources/ic.php, as well as documentation on using IC with the XBC (and other robotics controllers).
If you’re new to computer programming, don’t worry, the Botball® Educator Workshop will take you through each step of the process. You will receive handouts, a CD of resource material and sample code to take back to your students.
Warm Up Activities
If you have a Botball® kit or a Lego Mindstorms kit, visit our Robotics Cyber Lab for explanations and activities. If you have a 2006 or 2007 Botball kit or an XBC Robot Starter Kit, your team may wish to check out the archived NASA Robotics Web Course. You might also want to look through our Tips from Teams.
Do you have activities or lesson plans that you have used in the classroom or with your Botball® team? We are compiling a resource library and would welcome your contribution! Send your activities and lessons to curriculum@kipr.org.