VEX IQ Frog

Maybe you have seen my VEX IQ frog at VEX Worlds or on VEX Robotics Facebook and Twitter channel.

 

My fellow VEX IQ SuperUser Andreas Dreier created building instructions for my robots, I want to share with you here.

The Complete Package for the green and gray version, including the RobotC program, can be downloaded here:

-files-frog

-files-frog.green

-files-frog.gray

-files-frog.complete

If you have any questions or problems regarding the VEX IQ Frog, you can find me in the VEX IQ Robotics Facebook Group

SuperBot to the Rescue!

It’s time to do some superpower thinking and show us a Super Robot, a.k.a. SuperBot! Make it super cool, super geeky, super smart, or super fun, and show us what makes your robot a SuperBot – and what dilemma, challenge, or chore it rescues you from! The greatest SuperBot will send his or her creator on a super-duper trip to LEGO World Copenhagen.

Grand Prize: A trip to LEGO World Copenhagen in February 2017 where you will get to show your SuperBot to thousands of LEGO fans.

Judging

A panel of judges from the LEGO MINDSTORMS team will select one grand prize winner and 2 runner-ups. They will judge entries upon:

  • Super-factor originality: 25%
  • Attention to contest theme: 25%
  • Innovative building technique and functions: 25%
  • Innovative use of LEGO elements: 25%

How to enter

  • Visit: https://www.lego.com/en-us/rebrick/contest-page/contests/superbots
  • Create a robot using LEGO bricks and your LEGO MINDSTORMS robot (EV3 or earlier model) or power functions to solve an everyday challenge of your choosing
  • Create a video under 30 seconds showing your creation in action
  • Upload your video to the video hosting site of your choice, such as YouTube
  • Enter the contest by going to the “submit entry” page on LEGO Rebrick and submit maximum 5 screenshots from your video. Make sure to also add the link to your video before you submit
  • Use the description field to describe your robot and its features

Submit your entry at: https://www.lego.com/en-us/rebrick/contest-page/contests/superbots

Entry Deadline

Submit your entry no later than August 18th 2017 at 10:00AM EST.

If you’re not sure what time zone you’re in here’s a time zone converter

Move Your Project From Prototype To Production With Evezor

Evezor is a robot that can carve, draw, engrave, pour, pick,
place, cut, weld, 3D print, grab, mill, assemble and create your next
project or business.  Powered by Raspberry Pi, open source software and
hardware, Evezor is the most hackable robotic arm there is.  Evezor can
share and automate the hand tools you already own and with open tool head
platform, anyone can make tools for this machine.

A welded tube tower and steel skeleton give Evezor the strength
to support tools weighing over six pounds.  Precision machined components
and NEMA 23 motors deliver precise control, quiet operation and the power
for machining operations.  An 800mm wingspan provides the build area for
large projects.  Evezor has printed an entire single piece violin.

Magnetic encoders make this collaborative arm so user friendly a four year
old can program it, and closed loop control gives you the peace of mind that
you’ll never miss a step.

Make prototypes from a wide array of tool heads, then seamlessly
scale up to production with the same tool.  Evezor’s agility opens the door
to the entrepreneurial world for every maker.  What can Evezor make?  The
answer to this question is anything you can think of, and cocktails.

Evezor commits itself to giving back to the open source and open
hardware communities by contributing 10% from every arm.  „We think it’s
important to give back to the ecosystem that made this project possible“
says Andrew Wingate [Founder.]  Their mission is to democratize
manufacturing and increase access to opportunity.

„Chicago is one of the world’s megaregions and we often get
overlooked behind Silicon Valley and New York. I think this is the best
place in the world to kick start the next industrial revolution“ ~Andrew
Wingate

Evezor has launched a crowdfunding campaign that can be found at
http://evezor.com/kickstarter

Robotics for STEM Teachers: Online Workshop Series

Join CoderZ’s Robotics workshop serie, starting June 5th, and take your robotics skills to the next level. We encourage all robotics, STEM and EdTech lovers to attend this free sessions and to get to know a great way to engage students with the STEM fields.

The series, conducted by CoderZ’s very own master trainers Adi Shmorak and Dorin Shani, is composed of 3 sessions, each covering a different topic. It’s up to you how far you want to take it.

Session 1: In which you get to move your virtual robot around
In this session, we will learn the various components of a robots drive train; how it is powered, how it turns and how to control it using code.By the end of the session you will be driving your virtual robot around.

Session 2: In which you will see the world like a robot
In this session, we will learn about the various sensors robots use to sense their surroundings and how to put this data into good use, using code.By the end of the session you will understand how robots collect data from their surrounding and be able to integrate that data into our code using conditional statements.

Session 3: How Robots Think?
In this session, we will learn how to use variables , loops and math to program our robots to perform complex operations and accurately navigate their surroundings. By the end of session, you will be able to program your virtual robot to autonomously follow a line using basic control algorithms.

 

The entire CoderZ team will be waiting for you there! Save your spot here: http://bit.ly/2rgk2wj

Security Robots Made in Silicone Valley Come to Brazil

SMP Robotics (http://smprobotics.com) a manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, presented its S5 Security Robot (Robocom) at ISC Brazil that took place from April 18-20 in Expo Center Norte in São Paulo.

Proterisco, the official distributor of SMP Robotics in Brazil chose the ISC Brazil to introduce the S5 (Robocom) security robot to the 15,000 conference attendees and the leaders of Brazilian security industry. The S5 generated a lot of interest among the conference attendees. Following the conference, the robots received extensive media coverage in Brazil.

“It’s evident that the S5 Security Robot (Robocom) will have a great future here in Brazil,” said Flavio Faccino, Director at Proterisco. “We’ve received tremendous response from potential customers and had many interesting discussions about the impact of robotics on safety and security. The robots in Brazil were first introduced by the automotive industry, and today, industrial robots can be found in almost any industry, but security remains a top priority for the country. High crime rates in some of Brazil’s big cities are driving demand for automated robotic technology.”

Security and border control have been important issues for Brazil. According to the Brazilian Association of Security Industries (SIA), the industry grows, on average, 20% per year. The country’s borders are so vast, and the terrain so inhospitable, that attempting to secure them seems virtually impossible. Brazilian Ministry of Defense said in an official statement on November 16th, 2016 that its planning to establish an Integrated Protection Border Program (Programa de Proteção Integrada das Fronteiras) meant to secure the country’s 16,886 km of borders with 10 countries. The program is intended to strengthen the government’s presence in border zones and constantly patrol the area.

“The autonomous robots are reshaping the security industry across the private and public sectors,” said Marina Kahl, VP of Marketing at SMP Robotics. “Security robots are able to easily and safely perform tasks that would otherwise endanger human lives. In the United States the Border Patrol started using robot technology to monitor illegal activity along Arizona-Mexico border. This is a big step for the industry and it’s just the beginning.”

The S5 autonomous security robots from SMP Robotics have a variety of applications, including patrolling and video surveillance of campuses, vacant properties, manufacturing plants, warehouses and parking lots. The S5 can function in various terrain conditions: road, off-road, grass and gravel and traverse hazardous terrain, carrying out surveillance missions in all weather conditions: rain, snow, fog, smoke, etc., with temperatures ranging from -4F to 100F. The strong surface grip allows the robots to surmount level differences, bumps and ditches. Each robot is equipped with a 360-degree video surveillance system. It consists of six cameras for panoramic observation and a PTZ camera to track objects at larger distances. They can also record, store, send and stream video as well as zoom in and recognize a human at distances of up to 330 feet.

About SMP Robotics
SMP Robotics Corporation is a manufacturer of patrolling and video surveillance autonomous mobile robots. Headquartered in California, the company has offices in Europe and Asia. SMP Robotics started to design robots in 2009 and remains a strong player in the space, today SMP Robotics has its own assembly plant, research and development center and holds more than ten patents in the field of mobile robotics. The robots are available through authorized distributors all over the world; the company continues to actively expand its distribution network. For more information, visit: http://smprobotics.com

About Proterisco:
Proterisco offers a wide range of physical security solutions. Originally known as Protecães, the company was founded 25 years ago, it is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and today has offices throughout Brazil. Its customers include highways and railroads, shopping malls, construction sites, coal mines and so on. Most recently, Proterisco provided security services for the following major national events: World Cup 2014, Olympics Games 2016. For more information, visit: http://www.proterisco.com.br

Bring Coding To All Your FLLⓇ Team Members with CoderZ for free!

CoderZ Brickbot Parking

Season is over. You took part in amazing competitions and worked hard for your success.

Now it’s time to lay back and relax.

Or is it?

Offseason provides a great opportunity to enhance your team’s robotics skills for when the next season begins.

CoderZ has just the thing for you.
An exclusive offseason offer, just for FLL teams!

We understand that during season, not every team member has the chance to program and work on those computational thinking skills. That is why, we at CoderZ, are excited to bring to you CoderZ™ with Coding Robots™ course bundle, for FREE!

Here’s the link about it: http://bit.ly/2pq0LnA

CoderZ: Bringing robotics to every student in the world

CoderZ is an online learning environment where kids learn how to program virtual and real robots within the STEM pathways. Problem-solving, critical thinking, computational thinking, teamwork, self-paced learning, formative assessment, robotics, classroom engagement: CoderZ includes all of these concepts and more.

Discovering different new ways to engage the new generations with robotics and with STEM related fields becomes a bigger challenge everyday. That is why, tools like CoderZ are being developed to give teachers, educators, and robotics experts the possibility to take a deep breath.

CoderZ’s new version, now compatible with the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 (through Lejos), enables students to program their own virtual robot and acquire 21st-century skills. Delivered with the “Coding Robots” curriculum, co-developed by Intelitek and Gary Garber, CoderZ becomes an scalable and effective way for students with different levels to experience the robotics world in class.

Having several gamified missions, motivates kids to accomplish them in order to move to a harder level. Also, CoderZ has a class management tool for teachers to track each student progress and activity.

Starting with a friendly drag-and-drop blockly visual editor, kids progress to code their virtual robot using Java.

Recently, the CoderZ team added to their previous FTC, First Tech Challenge, version, the new version mentioned before, which is compatible with the EV3 brick. Right now, the CoderZ team is offering a 14-day free trial which you can sign up for here.

CoderZ even gives you the option of driving and programming your virtual robot on the moon, taking into consideration friction and gravity. And of course, increasing the kids’ engagement with the robotics world. Although, for now, kids’ won’t be able to try their robot on the moon after they download the program, but who knows what Elon Musk will create in the next few years.

Pay some atención! CoderZ’s STEM learning environment is available both in English and in Español… Si señor!

Learn more about CoderZ at http://GoCoderZ.com.

Request your free trial here.

ICON Corp. Toy Robot to Teach Programming to Infants and Toddlers

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On April 20th, 2017 (Thu.) ICON Corp. will begin a crowdfunding campaign for KUMIITA, an educational toy designed for 0 to 3 year olds to teach them the concepts of programming.

Kickstarter project page at https://goo.gl/MLkbjM.

By providing a language-less and hands-on experience in the form of a puzzle game, children will be accustomed to programming from a young age. KUMIITA cultivates the basic thinking patterns and logic behind programming in children by allowing them to physically assemble command panels and see how the resulting programs are executed – and why they fail at times, as well. Failed programs can also be fixed by rearranging the panels in various ways, allowing children to figure out new solutions for themselves.

KUMIITA is played by placing down panels which the robot will roll over, following its path ahead. The robot scans each panel and executes different commands to change its color or direction, play a musical instrument, or make animal sounds.

The ICON Outlook
Through cultivating a rich culture of product development that has led us to solutions for searchable, encryption protected data systems, ICON Corp. will soon reach the 20th anniversary of our founding. The KUMIITA project represents a confluence of technical expertise and free thinking to realize the development, introduction, and furthering of new ideas under the banner of „well-being through technology“ that we have strived for since our inception.

To realize a prosperous future through technology, we have taken a stance of total integration, to include not only our programming software, but hardware products and services. And now we are venturing to build opportunities for children so that they may enjoy programming in the effort to accelerate the creation of new ideas, and value that will ultimately carry the future forward.

KUMIITA on Kickstarter
The Kickstarter campaign will run from April 20th through May 20th with a project funding goal of $30,000. For full details concerning the campaign including pledge rewards, please see our project page at https://goo.gl/MLkbjM.