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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 5 - 8

Control Using Sound

Two photos: Two hands clapping. A palm-sized gray and white plastic oblong box-shaped device with cut-out openings on one side, filled with orange foam material (a LEGO sound sensor).Engineers have developed robotic sound sensors that allow the sound of a hand clap to control a robot.

Students gain a deeper understanding of how sound sensors work through a hands-on design challenge involving LEGO® MINDSTORMS® taskbots and sound sensors. Student groups each program a robot computer to use to the sound of hand claps to control the robot's movement. They learn programming skills and logic design in parallel. They experience how robots can take sensor input and use it to make decisions to move and turn, similar to the human sense of hearing. A PowerPoint® presentation and pre/post quizzes are provided.

**Note: This activity uses the retired LEGO NXT robot which is no longer available for purchase.

Sound sensors take in the physical data of sound waves in a process that imitates the human sense of hearing. Sound sensors are increasingly engineered into every day devices For instance, when you use a phone, you are using a microphone, which is a sound sensor, to communicate your voice. The Skype system uses microphones at both ends so that people can hear each other. Many smartphones have sound sensors that can recognize your words by comparing them to recognizable sounds stored in memory; similar sound sensors are used to help blind people interact with computers and other devices. The use of sensors has exploded into the design of uncountable every day tools, equipment, appliances and devices.

Computer programming is a key component of many modern engineering designs. As students create robot programs in this activity, they must have a "goal" or "concept" of what the program solution needs to do and how, before they begin writing the code. Then, the process of working on the code and "debugging" it inherently constitutes "revising and improving their designs based on the results of testing." Hence, the thought processes required to code programs that meet problem constraints are very similar, if not identical, to those required for traditional engineering design of physical objects and products.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Program a LEGO robot to take input from sound sensors and activate motors to move.
  • Explain how the program and the sound sensors work.
  • Relate the program (robotic response to sound sensor information) to human responses to sound.

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