A Guide to the Ruins of Atlantis Robot Virtual World Teaching with the Ruins of Atlantis Robot Virtual World A follow-up activity to the Research Tested Expedition Atlantis Robot Math Game A Foo We thought Atlantis was a myth. We were wrong. With the emergence of new robotics technologies we are now able to explore areas of the world we’ve never seen before.
Preface 2 Table of Contents 3 FAQ 4 Checklist 5 Introduction & Setup 5 What are Robot Virtual Worlds (RVW)? What is the Ruins of Atlantis? 6 System Requirements & Installation 7 Programming 7 Compatible Programming Languages 8 Using the Virtual NXT 10 Programming with EV3 Software 11 Programming with NXT-G Software 12 Programming with ROBOTC 13 Downloading Programs Research has shown that the majority of students “guess and check” their way through robotics activities.
Preface Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ►► What are Robot Virtual Worlds? (See What are Robot Virtual Worlds, page 5) ►► What is Ruins of Atlantis? (See What is Ruins of Atlantis, page 5) ►► Which programming languages can I use with Ruins of Atlantis? (See Compatible Programming Languages, page 7) ►► How do I download a program to the virtual robot? (See Downloading Programs, page 12) ►► How do I use the Virtual NXT? (See Using the Virtual NXT, pages 8-9) ►► Can my computer run Robot Virtual Worlds? (Se
Preface Checklist Make sure that you have LEGO NXT-G, EV3, or ROBOTC programming software on your computer, page 7. Before you commit to using the Ruins of Atlantis, make sure that your computers have the capacity to run the Robot Virtual World (RVW) software by checking your computer’s specifications against the system requirements, see System Requirements, page 6. Note: If you are unsure, you can always download a trial copy and test it on your computers. Make sure the software is properly installed.
Introduction What are Robot Virtual Worlds (RVWs)? Robot Virtual Worlds are simulation environments designed to help students learn how to program. The beauty of the RVW solution is that students can use the same programming language on their virtual or physical robot.
Setup System Requirements • PC Compatible OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor family or better, AMD Athlon X2 processor family or better • Memory: 2 GB RAM • Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GTS or better, ATI Radeon™ HD 3850 or better • DirectX®: DirectX® 9.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Compatible Programming Languages Which Programming Languages Work with Ruins of Atlantis? The following programming languages are compatible with Ruins of Atlantis and other Robot Virtual Worlds when used with the Virtual NXT software (see page 8 for more details about the Virtual NXT): NXT-G Software NXT-G is a graphical, drag-and-drop style programming language that can be used with the LEGO NXT. Schools can purchase a site license through LEGO Education.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Using the Virtual NXT The Virtual NXT allows programmers to control virtual robots in the Robot Virtual Worlds using the same programming languages as the real NXT robots. We recommend the NXT-G and EV3 programming software; the Virtual NXT looks and acts like another NXT to these programs. When you open the Virtual NXT and the programming software, it will automatically recognize and select the Virtual NXT.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis How the Virtual NXT Works The diagram below visually represents the relationship between the LEGO programming software, the Virtual NXT, and the Ruins of Atlantis: • Programs for the virtual robots in the Ruins of Atlantis can be written in NXT-G or the EV3 programming environment. • The Virtual NXT is recognized by the LEGO programming software. When you download a program, it goes to the Virtual NXT.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Programming - EV3 Programming in the EV3 environment for the Ruins of Atlantis (with the Virtual NXT) works the same as if you were programming a physical NXT using the EV3 programming environment. The EV3 programming software will automatically connect to the Virtual NXT if it is open on your computer, and you don’t have any physical LEGO robots connected. In the lower-right corner of the interface, there is a series of control buttons.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Programming - NXT-G Programming in NXT-G for the Ruins of Atlantis (with the Virtual NXT) works the same way as if you programmed with a physical NXT. NXT-G will automatically connect to the Virtual NXT if it is open on your computer and you don’t have a physical LEGO robots connected. In the lower-right corner of the NXT-G interface there is a series of control buttons.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Programming - ROBOTC The directions below assume that you already have ROBOTC for Robot Virtual Worlds installed on your computer and that you want to program in the Ruins of Atlantis world. 1 Go to the Robot Virtual Worlds download center http://www.robotvirtualworlds.
Programming with Ruins of Atlantis Downloading Programs We recommend a 4-step process no matter which programming language you choose to use with the Ruins of Atlantis and Virtual NXT: 1. Launch the Virtual NXT Software. 2. Choose Ruins of Atlantis as your Target World. 3. Launch your Programming Software (NXT-G, EV3, etc.). 4. Write your program and download it to the Virtual NXT the same way you would download a program to a physical NXT.
The Ruins of Atlantis Main Menu Interface Logging In and Saving Progress When the Ruins of Atlantis virtual world opens, you will be presented with the user interface below. The following pages will familiarize you with many of the controls and game mechanics of Ruins of Atlantis. How you log in determines how your progress is saved. Teach your students how to save their progress.
The Ruins of Atlantis Main Menu Interface Tracking Student Performance Badges and Achievements The Computer Science Student Network (CS2N) contains free activities, courses, and resources for teachers to teach Robotics and Computer Science. Teachers can use CS2N to create a Group and keep track of their students progress. Robot Virtual Worlds give out badges upon completing certain tasks or behaviors.
The Ruins of Atlantis Main Menu Interface Optimizing for Computer Performance The Robot Virtual Worlds are built using a real physics and gaming engine, and have similar computer processing demands as a video game. To allow the RVWs to be run on a wider variety of computer hardware, graphics quality settings are included. You’ll find these controls in the OPTIONS menu. VISUAL EFFECTS: This toggle controls whether the game plays certain animations, such as the bubbles and fish.
The Ruins of Atlantis Main Menu Interface Printable Map In the MEDIA section of the menu, you’ll find a high resolution, printable map of Ruins of Atlantis. The map contains key information such as the distances and angles the robots will need to move and the physical characteristics of their robots allowing students to make informed decisions as they program. Consider printing a large version of the map to facilitate class discussion.
The Ruins of Atlantis Main Menu Interface Virtual Robot Models From the main screen, you are able to choose from three different robot models: Anemobot, Buggybot, and Mammalbot. Robot specifications, including motor ports, sensor ports, and robot dimensions appear when selecting robots from the ROBOT menu. You will need this information when writing programs for the virtual robots. Pressing the PLAY button will launch the Ruins of Atlantis virtual environment with your selected virtual robot.
The Ruins of Atlantis In-Game Interface User Interface: Game Controls Every Robot Virtual World includes Game Controls. The Game Controls allow you to choose when the programs you download are run by the virtual robot, to reset the virtual robot to a starting point, and to return to the main menu. In the Ruins of Atlantis, they are located in the lower-left corner of the screen. Play / Pause: This button will run the program currently selected (or most recently downloaded) to the Virtual NXT.
The Ruins of Atlantis In-Game Interface User Interface: Camera Controls Every Robot Virtual World includes Camera Controls. The Camera Controls allow you to change your view of the virtual world. In Ruins of Atlantis, they are located in the lower-right corner of the screen. Camera 1: This is the default game camera. It will “follow” the robot from behind as it moves in the virtual world. You can zoom in and out using the scroll wheel on your mouse.
The Ruins of Atlantis In-Game Interface User Interface: Measurement Toolkit Every Robot Virtual World includes the Measurement Toolkit. The Measurement Toolkit allows you to obtain key distances and angles from the virtual environment, crucial for robot path planning, by placing markers in the world. In Ruins of Atlantis, the they are located on the lower-right side of the screen. Show: This button toggles the Measurement Toolkit on and off. You must press it to enable the Measurement Toolkit.
The Ruins of Atlantis In-Game Interface User Interface: Head-up Display As you explore the Ruins of Atlantis, you will encounter treasure in the form of gems and coins. There are a total of 6 gems and 60 coins in the world. For every gem collected, one of the gem-shaped slots in the Head-up Display will fill in. For every coin collected, the value next to the counter will go up by one. The robot collects the coins and gems by driving into them.
The Ruins of Atlantis In-Game Interface User Interface: In-game Map As you explore the Ruins of Atlantis, your robot will unlock additional start points along the path. Locked start points appear as orange circular tiles, and switch to green once they are unlocked. The robot unlocks the start points simply by driving over them.
In the Classroom Promoting Mathematical Programming Solutions Picture below is the Atlantis printable map from page 16 Each grid is 100cm by 100cm. Pictured above (blue) is an ingame zoomed-out top view of the Ruins of Atlantis Pictured above are the two types of maps found in the Ruins of Atlantis. Note that the printable map is broken into grids. Each grid is 100cm by 100cm.
In the Classroom Promoting Mathematical Programming Solutions Anemobot robot starts here The blue gem The picture above left is a zoomed-out in-game top view of the first challenge, Collect the Blue Gem. Grid Map Distance Key Look at the grid map (upper right) and compare it to the distance key. The distance key says that a grid square is 100 cm wide and 100 cm high. From the robot to the blue gem is conveniently one grid or 100 cm.
In the Classroom Promoting Mathematical Programming Solutions The NXT-G and EV3 solutions for this are straightforward, see below. To review how to download programs from NXT-G or EV3 to the Ruins of Atlantis, see pages 8 through 12. In NXT-G, set a Move block’s Duration to 3.18 Rotations: In EV3, set a Motor Steering block’s Rotations to 3.
In the Classroom Promoting Mathematical Programming Solutions In-game, remember that the Measurement Toolkit (see page 20), can be used to collect actual values, since the distances derived from the map grid are approximations. The blue gem is an important object in view, so it’s distance is displayed by default 0.99 meters, or 99 centimeters. That’s very close to our 100 centimeter measurement! 0.99 m +4.64 Run the program you wrote to move the robot to the blue gem.
In the Classroom Expedition Atlantis It’s the year 2023 and Atlantis has been discovered deep in the ocean, off of the coast of Africa. A team of elite scientists and engineers have been sent to investigate the underwater ruins, and you’re one of them! Use your skills to to maneuver the teams underwater vehicles in this expedition to Atlantis! Expedition Atlantis presents mobile robot math problems in a highly scaffolded and contextualized manner.
In the Classroom Additional Resources ►► Robotvirtualworlds.com This is the home of Robot Virtual Worlds. Here you can find all of the level packs available as well as resources and information about the worlds. ►► Virtual NXT (http://robotvirtualworlds.com/virtualnxt) Download or Learn more about the Virtual NXT. ►► Ruins of Atlantis (http://robotvirtualworlds.com/ruins-of-atlantis/) We thought Altantis was a myth. We were wrong.
In The Classroom Research Studies Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center. study how people learn with robots. Directly below are papers and articles that they’ve written on learning with Robot Virtual Worlds. Liu, A., Schunn, C. D., Flot, J., & Shoop, R. (October, 2013) The role of physicality in rich programming environments.. Computer Science Education, 23(4), 315-331. Liu, A., Newsom, J., Schunn, C., Shoop, R.
