Robotics

Exhibition Goals

Introduce the basic science behind the design and operation of robots, using sensing, thinking and acting as the components that comprise robot functions and compare the processes by which robots and people complete those tasks.
Increase awareness of the opportunities and advantages of robots in the workplace.
Introduce visitors to different career opportunities in the robotics industry.

Themes

The content themes in Robotics are guaranteed to give visitors a unique look at what robots are, how they work and how they will change the future.

Introduction: A robot is a machine that gathers information about its environment (senses) and uses that information (thinks) to follow instructions to do work (acts). In the Robotics exhibit, you can compare yourself to a robot. Do people and robots sense, think and act in the same ways?
Sensing: People use senses, while robots use sensors, to make observations about their world. Robotic sensors are high-tech versions of our five basic senses.
Thinking: People draw on past experiences and use intuition while making decisions. Robots follow the step-by-step instructions of a program. A robot doesn't make inferences; it follows a program exactly, even if it contains errors!
Acting: People can walk, talk, and juggle at the same time. Three different robots would have to be designed to do those three different actions. Mobile robots walk or roll from place to place. Industrial robots have one arm that picks up and places things. Service robots talk and assist people.
Applications: Complete robots combine all three processes of sensing, thinking and acting to do an activity. Think of something that you do everyday and break that activity down into the three steps of sensing, thinking and acting.
Kids Zone: Explore robotics through the eyes of a child. Build and program robots and use mechanical arms during playtime.

Components

Entrance Sign: this is the main sign typically located at the entrance to the exhibition. The sign lists the major sponsors and has an area for additional (local) sponsors for each venue.
Adept Key Sorting Robot: Visitors test their identification skills, speed and accuracy against a high-speed assembly line robot with advanced vision systems to sort 12 keys and unlock 3 locks.
The visitor kiosk is two sided, so not only can visitors race against the robot, they can race against each other.
Robotix Tables (2 stations): Visitors build their own electro-mechanical robots at these tables using Robotix parts. There is a multiport, low voltage power supply at each end of both tables, so visitors can test their designs.
I Spy - Fool the Motion Detector: This component illustrates the sensitivity and effectiveness of an ultrasonic motion detector system and how it can be used in a robot. The visitor attempts to "fool" the motion detector by pushing the green button and slowly reaching for and pushing the yellow button.
Dynavox (2 stations): Visitors interact with a robotic system designed to help people with physical challenges. Visitors use the computer touch screen and create sentences from this speech synthesizer.
Multiple Sensors: Through a series of activities, visitors explore how multiple sensing systems are used in robots to increase the efficiency of identifying objects. Visitors estimate the magnetism, weight and temperature of several objects, and then see the actual results on the computer monitor. - Through a series of activities, visitors explore how multiple sensing systems are used in robots to increase the efficiency of identifying objects. Visitors estimate the magnetism, weight and temperature of several objects, and then see the actual results on the computer monitor.
Make My Machine: Visitors build a simple mechanical machine, then attempt to give step-by-step instructions to another visitor on the other side of the exhibit to replicate their creation. This activity reinforces the need for detailed, accurate information or programming in order for a robot to perform even the most simple of tasks.
Hydraulic End Effector: Visitors first use their own energy to rotate a hydraulic pump that powers the robotic end effector. Once they have enough power, visitors use a series of controls to move the arm up, down, in, out and left or right in order to pick up a ball and place it atop a small pedestal.
Mechanical End Effector: Visitors stack and unstack blocks using a robotic, mechanical slave arm that has numerous joints and mechanical systems.
Mechanical Gripper: This exhibit allows visitors to explore three different types of end effectors that a robot may use to complete a task. Each mechanical gripper is designed to grasp and to hold a block designed for this activity.
Tie Your Shoes (4 stations): This activity relates to sensory deprivation and challenges the visitors to perform a series of activities using their own sensors. Visitors will be challenged to tie a pair of shoelaces, first with all their senses, next with a blindfold, then with two pairs of Robogrip pliers, then while blindfolded using the pliers.
The visitor will understand how important sensors, data input and accurate information are for a robot to complete a task. Most robots don't have as many sensors as people. There are four identical stations in this activity.
Tie Your Shoes Talking Head: A fully dressed mannequin sits atop a pedestal. It has a real face projected onto its head using an LCD projector.

This unique character talks to visitors and explains how the Tie Your Shoes activity works and why.
Logic Tree: This exhibit allows visitors to answer simple questions with a yes or a no, in order to gain as much information as possible about a shape.

Visitors insert a pre-made shape (round, square or triangular) of varying color into the top of the exhibit and through answering a series of logic questions, they mechanically move the object down through the exhibit until it arrives at the end, which should list the parameters of the object.
Sonar Sensors: This three-sided activity uses nine active ultrasonic sensor systems to measure the distance of visitors from the exhibit. Computer monitors display these measurements as visitors can move back and forth in front of the exhibit.
Trace/Retrace: Visitors test their ability to complete a precise task repeatedly and explore the issue of robots in the workplace. In this activity, visitors trace a star-shaped pattern several times only to find out that they aren't able to reproduce the same drawing twice.