get with the programming

mindstorm. day 1

using the protocol from our chess experiment (two squares forward and one square to the diagonal left) we tryed to navigate from the door of WT Block on Wakefield St, to the front door of our class, deep inside the darkest chasom of WT.

unlike Zoolander, we could go left but not right. this meant that we had to program our robot, NZBOT, to sense walls and make the choice (and I only use the word 'choice' because we are trying to personify him and make him relatively autonimous) to make a right angle turn to avoid trouble.

NZBOT reacted well to the protocol but we had to refine him by changing the physical configuration, tweaking the programming (sequence of commands was crucial), and adding a touch sensor to help him percieve obtacles to his left.

our final robot looked a bit ungainly, was unstable when he hit a wall, and did not make it to the goal.

as a group we worked ok together but did not achieve syncronisity and cohesion, which I believe is the main reason we failed.

too many cooks spoil the broth!!!

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