Understanding Movement in Humans and Robots

An important aspect of biological engineering and neuroscience is the ability to view the human body as a functioning, controlled system. Engineers use this systems approach when building robots. More and more research findings indicate that mathematical principles similar to those used in robotics are extremely useful or even necessary for a complete understanding of the human body. Within such fields as biological engineering, systems and neurobiology, engineers are becoming increasingly involved in research involving the human body and efforts to replicate the functioning of many of its systems.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Compare the functions of the components involved in movement in both a human body and in a robot.
• Program an EV3 robot to move based on the input it receives from a sensor.

See the Are We Like Robots? associated lesson for the activity introduction.

Refer to the Understanding Movement in Humans and Robots Presentation (PPT) (a PowerPoint file) to conduct this activity.

Before the Activity

• Make copies of the Movement in Robots Worksheet (PDF) and the Post Activity Worksheet (PDF).
• Build a bevelbot for each group, as explained in the How to Build a LEGO EV3 Bevelbot (PDF). If you have an extra day, have the students follow the instructions to put together the bevelbots.
• Program one bevelbot as described in the LEGO EV3 Software Tutorial (PPT).

With the Students

• Divide the class into groups of three or four students each.
• Introduce the class to the LEGO EV3 robot (bevelbot) as describe on slide 8.
• Introduce the EV3 brick as the brain of the robot. However, this "brain" must be programmed, unlike humans who learn from experiences. Explain that it is the user-defined programming that tells the brick what to do (slide 9).
• Introduce the equivalent of nerves in a robot (slide 10).
• Introduce robot equivalents to humans (slide 11).
• Explain how motors help robots move. Ask the class to compare the way robots move to the way people move (slides 12 -13).
• Have everyone set up the LEGO EV3 bevelbots on the floor. Explain the engineering challenge: To make the robot move towards a wall, sense the wall once it gets close and back up when it is too close to a wall (slide 14).
• Explain the working of the ultrasonic sensor and start programming (slide 15).
• Walk the class through basic programming of the bevelbot (slide 16).
• Direct students on how to start the program they downloaded on the EV3 brick and have students explain what they told their robot to do (slide 17).
• Have students sit in groups and pass out the Movement in Robots Worksheet in (slide 18-19). Solutions to the activity sheet questions are given in slide 20.
• Talk about energy sources in humans and robots (slide 21).
• Compare the process of deciding to move in humans and robots (slide 22).
• Provide a summary of humans vs. robots (slide 23). Ask students identify some other ways in which robots are similar to human brains.
• Administer the post-activity worksheet (slide 24).

Pre-Activity Questioning: To find out student preconceptions and base knowledge, ask students in a group setting about their knowledge of brain anatomy, computer parts and EV3 sensors, and write student responses on the board.

Worksheet: Administer the Student Post-Activity Worksheet (PDF) (slide 24).

Post-Activity Game: Conduct the Jeopardy Game by using the Jeopardy - Understanding Movement in Humans and Robots (PPT) PowerPoint file, which is designed to play an entire game of Jeopardy using lesson and activity content.

• Divide the class into groups of two to four student each.
• During each group's turn, ask them to choose a category.
• Use the mouse left key to click on the "student choice" to reveal a jeopardy question. Click on the "question" icon on the slide to reveal the correct answer.

Troubleshooting is an important part of programming. This activity provides many opportunities for students to learn to find problems on their own, with some teacher guidance if necessary. If a group is having trouble programming, ask them to explain to you what the program does, starting at the beginning. While they are explaining, look at their program to make sure it matches the explanation. If you are not sure what a part of the program means, refer to the EV3 reference guide or legoengineering.com.