S-O-S: Substitute Online Student Robot

How can we improve the way that a student

who is absent or cannot be in the classroom learn in school?

     The answer: S-O-S: Substitute Online Student Robot a small, Wi-Fi and radio signal operated, affordable robot that allows the absent student to travel along with the class and learn even though the student cannot be physically present in the classroom in school. 

      So who can benefit from using this robot to help them learn?

➢ It can help students with medical limitations, including injuries or surgery requiring recovery in a hospital or at home, asthma, highly contagious diseases that require quarantine, allergies, chemotherapy, influenza, and other ailments, so that they can sit in on their classes while at home or in their hospital room. 
➢ Students with allergies to certain chemicals could sit in another classroom and still participate in a science lab experiment. 
➢ Special Needs students who can take advanced courses in their school, but who are not yet able to be physically in the classroom with other students, can participate more comfortably in a separate smaller size classroom. It can be used to help introduce a student, who has never been mainstreamed before, to the new class; thus, helping the student to know what to expect before he /she is actually mainstreamed.
➢ Home-schooled students could enhance their educational experience by attending courses at public or even private schools in their area.  

     All of these situations can be made possible with the S-O-S, the absent student will be able to socialize, learn, and simply enjoy being in the classroom while not "physically being in the classroom."
     The S-O-S is a robot made almost entirely out of LEGO® products and products made for use with LEGO® elements. Using Skype® on just about any tablet device and/or computer for the student with Internet access, the student is virtually in the classroom. 
     The S-O-S may not be as sophisticated as the more expensive robots that establish your physical presence in a distant location, but with an 18” x 12.5” x 10” body, a 360º turntable, and fitted with any tablet device with a camera, the S-O-S is both portable and affordable, while still being able to replicate some of the functions and serve the same basic purpose as more expensive robots. This new robot has the following features: 

➢ The teacher (or a class monitor) control of the turning movements of the robot using an EV3 Infrared Beacon so he or she can point the robot to view any part of the classroom, giving the teacher control to focus on specific aspects of the classroom or other students. 
➢ The student, at home, is able to control the robot’s arm movements to raise its hand to answer a question, and control light signals using a radio device called NXTBee®. 
➢ The robot has “grasp” type hands to hold small, lightweight objects that is placed in its grip by the teacher or a classmate.
➢ It is easily adjustable to all sorts of tablet devices.
➢ Being portable, the S-O-S can be carried around in a case from class to class, or even taken on a school field trip (robot body can be detached from the turntable for light travel), using cellular data or Wi-Fi hotspot to access the Internet and Skype®.

  The cost of making a S-O-S is about $300, if you have the LEGO® kits, if not $1200-$1300. That would fit any school’s budget and increase educational access for homeschooling families. The software for controlling the S-O-S, is actually free from LEGO® (the Retail Consumer versions) and is compatible on Windows and Mac OS. 
     With an affordable price, a portable smaller body, and easy access using any Internet connection, the S-O-S is a great way to allow students to learn even though they cannot be physically present in the classroom.

Specifications & Parts

Dimensions: 18”x12.5”x10”   Weight: 4lbs.

Hardware

(1) LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3 Kit  (Retail/Consumer version)

Includes: (1) Intelligent Brick, (1) Infrared Sensor, (2) Color Sensors, (1) Infrared Remote Beacon, (2) Medium Servo Motors, and various LEGO® elements. 

(1) LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT Kit (Retail/Consumer version) Includes: 

     Intelligent Brick, (1) NXT Servo Motor, (2) NXT Touch Sensors, and various  

     LEGO® elements. 

(1) LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT Intelligent Brick, (1) additional NXT Touch Sensor

         or

(2) LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT Intelligent Bricks, (1) LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT Servo Motor, (3) LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT Touch Sensors

  (3) Packs of Frame Beams (www.LEGO Education.com)

(1) MinuteBot Base – MINUTEBOT® - http://www.minutebot.com/minuteproducts/base/ or http://store.theproductfarm.com/minutebot-base-plate/  

(10) NXT/EV3 Connector cables or mindsensors Flex-Cables® - http://

www.mindsensors.com

(2) 10 cm     (5) 20 cm     (3) 35 cm

(2) Dexter Industries NXTBee Pro®

Digi XBee® 60 mW radio. This unit has a range of 1.6 KM.

9 volt battery

        

 (9) AA batteries or Optional: (3) LEGO rechargeable batteries and Chargers

Software 

Application - Skype® (free version)

Windows and Mac OS

NXT-G programming - LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT 

  EV3 programming - LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3

Building System - LEGO Technic® 

Communication System - Any Internet provider 

Display Devices

Any tablet device (iPad® Samsung Galaxy®) that uses the Skype® App 

Any home computer with Internet & Skype®

Optibotz Bots

This design may be a winner;

plus two.

We added coding,

to teach them what to do.

Sneak Peek 1...

The Optibotz robot is ready for action, 

but by our competitors, it has not been seen;

so here is a sneak peek of our machine.

Here is the brain,

at the games it will reign!

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Optibotz: Team Profile

2014-2015

We are FIRST LEGO League team # 1082, The Optibotz. We are a private team of 4 members - 2 of us are brothers, we attend different schools, we have a few different interests, but we all share our love for LEGO building. Let us introduce ourselves:

Hi, my name is Corban, and I am an 8th grader currently attending Hunter College High School. I am 13 years old and my favorite subjects are math and Latin. I am a five-year veteran of FLL (FIRST LEGO League) and I continue to love this robotics competition.  Each year it gives me a new challenge to work on. I aspire to enroll in MIT and perhaps become a researcher for big companies.  
     Sports that I enjoy playing are basketball and badminton, and my hobbies are hiking, reading, and making stuff. I enjoy nature and outdoor activities. I also play the drums when I have free time. I decided to join FLL this year so that I could finish my FLL “career” so to speak to the very end. FLL is also a new learning experience each year, and always helps me build up my social and teamwork skills. After this robotic season, I will be eligible for FRC (First Robotics Competition) and I will probably try out for it.. 

     My name is Joshua age 13. I go to M.S. 67Q and am in 8th grade. Some of my favorite subjects in school are Science Olympiad, Math, and Science. I like these subjects because I am either good at them or I like the teacher. When I grow up, I am aiming to either be an aerospace engineer, because I like to design and build flying machines. 

     Some of the sports I play are basketball, swimming, and biking. I also run for fun, but not with a team or anything. Some of the things I like to do in my spare time are sewing, playing Beyblade, basically battling spinning tops, and play pranks or jokes on other people. Some of my favorite things to do are playing video games, and playing expansion and word board games. I like those things because they are constantly changing, and often, no 2 games are ever the same. 

     I decided to join the FLL robotics team because I thought it would be fun. I also thought it would be a good idea to learn to work well with other people. So then, if I ever had to work with others, the skill wouldn’t be foreign to me. I joined the team because I wanted to learn to work as a team, and to experience something new. I had a lot of fun the last two years on the team, so this is my third year on the team. 

     Overall, I think that joining the team was a good idea. I have lots of fun working with my teammates on the robots and the innovation for our Research project.

     My name is Matthew and I am 14 years old. This is my second year being on a FIRST LEGO League team, and I love every minute of it. I am in ninth grade and I attend New Hyde Park Memorial High School. My favorite subjects in school are English, Orchestra, and Art. I play the cello in the orchestra. When I grow up, I want to be an author and/or a comic artist for DC Comics. I also would like to be a LEGO Designer; I practice at home with the downloadable software on my computer. 

At school, I run on the Junior High track team and occasionally take drawing requests from my friends. My favorite things are comics, LEGO, and books. My favorite author is Rick Riordan, and my favorite book series is his Heroes Of Olympus series. I also enjoy watching T.V. My favorite shows are Young Justice and the new show on CW, The Flash. 

     My name is Gabriel and I am 12 years old. I attend seventh grade at New Hyde Park Memorial High School. My favorite subjects in school are social studies, World Language, and orchestra. I am first cello in the Intermediate Orchestra, and I also play in the String Ensemble. The sports I like and play are play basketball, volleyball, and hacky sack in school and at home.
     I've made and played with LEGO elements before, but this is the first time I have built a LEGO Mindstorms robot. I was invited to join the team by Coach Greene. I accepted the offer because I love to experiment with LEGO and try new things. I also wanted to join, because the LEGO Mindstorms robot intrigued me. I am looking forward to participating in the FIRST LEGO League tournament this year.

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