Computer Science 444: Embedded / Robotic Programming

Unit 3: Robotic Movement 2 – Affectors

Affectors are the key to allowing a robot to interact with its environment. Affectors affect the environment by touching, grabbing, and other motions. In this unit you will examine different affectors in robotics.

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

• describe various types of affectors, both how they are created and how they work.
• discuss the creation of robots that employ affectors to interact with their environment.

Readings

Please read the following chapters in the textbook:

• Grasping at Straws (Chapter 6)

Questions to Ponder

At the end of each chapter in the assigned readings there are questions labelled “Food for Thought”. Please answer these questions as best you can in your weblog, which will become part of your portfolio of competence submitted for marking during this course.

Exercises

Exercises for this unit can be found in the Instructor’s Weblog on the Landing. Please follow along with the exercises and programs using your own Arduino kit, and keep a record of your explorations in your own weblog.

Further Readings

At the end of each chapter in the assigned readings you will find a section titled “Looking for More.” While the links and readings mentioned in this section are not assigned, please feel free to examine them if you are interested, or ask questions on the Landing.