Mars Rover App Creation
Software engineers play a key role in the control of the Mars rover CuriosityCopyright NASA http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/events/2012/ames-curiosity.html
Based on their experience exploring the Mars rover Curiosity and learning about what engineers must go through to develop a vehicle like Curiosity, students create Android apps that can control LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robots, simulating the difficulties the Curiosity rover could encounter. The activity goal is to teach students programming design and programming skills using MIT's App Inventor software as the vehicle for the learning. The (free to download) App Inventor program enables Android apps to be created using building blocks without having to actually know a programming language. At activity end, students are ready to apply what they learn to write other applications for Android devices.
Software engineers use the engineering design process to develop software applications that we encounter on a daily basis. Examples of engineering programming designs include software for business, communication, compilers, computer graphics and banking. Using the design process, software engineers plan what an application or program will do, decide what it looks like, decide how to structure the software, test and edit it to ensure the app or program works as intended. In this activity, students act as software engineers to create Android apps. They identify the problem, develop solutions, select and implement a possible solution, test their solutions and redesign as needed to create the desired Android application.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Design and create a mobile app for an Android device using MIT's App Inventor.
- Apply the steps of the software/system (engineering) design process.