MAC 2020 Introduction to Mobile Robotics
This course introduces students to programming autonomous, mobile robots; these are Create mobile robots, produced by iRobot, makers of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. The course begins with a one-day introduction to the robotic programming language/environment, which the students will then use to program these mobile robots for the duration of the course. The lab will be open for seven (7) hours per day, during which the student may work to complete the required course hours. These mobile robots are autonomous. Therefore, the students, working in teams of two download the program to the robot via a USB connection. The connection is then disconnected, and the robot is allowed to autonomously use its programmed behavior to interact with its environment and carry out the pre-determined task.