Automating Action

How can a mechanism be motorized to add automation? How can automation make tasks easier?

Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially if connecting through Bluetooth.

Engage students in a discussion about automation. Prompt students to provide ideas about what automation is and provide examples of everyday items that provide automation. Consider showing images or videos as needed for students to understand how automation happens.

Show students the video from the SPIKE Prime Extra Resources - Ideas, the LEGO Way lesson. Use this video to prompt a discussion about what could be automated in the model shown. Discuss ideas for adding a motor to automate the movement provided by the two people in the video.

Challenge students to add a motor to the tower arm in order to automate the movement to the character rather than needing to move it manually.
Students will design an idea for adding a single motor to the tower arm. Students should sketch an idea for adding the motor then write out their pseudocode for how to program the tower arm to move. Students need to consider the design of the tower arm, understanding how it can move, in order to program the movement to be automated.

Open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students should connect their hub.
Students will program the movement of the arm. Use the pseudocode to help create the program. Remind students to test their program several times in order to ensure it moves as expected. Ask students to add code comments using # to explain the steps of the program.

Students should share their final design and program, explaining how the program automates the movement.

Ask students questions like:

• How did you program your model? Ask students to share their program comments to explain.
• What decisions did you have to make while adding the motor?
• What decisions did you have to make when programming your movement?
• How does adding the motor to automate the movement make the task easier?
• What were areas that you had to debug or troubleshoot?
• What was difficult about this challenge?

Have two groups of students come together to form a larger group.

Group 1 will present their model and program to Group 2. Group 2 will then present their model and program to Group 1.

Both groups should focus on the code comments provided in each program. The groups will work together to make sure the code comments clearly outline each program.

Working together, groups should create basic user instructions for their automation. Each group can add these instructions to the top of their program using a code comment.

Teacher Observation:
Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

• How were you able to motorize your mechanism?
• What decisions did you need to make in order to add the motor?
• Why are code comments, including user instructions, important to create?

Self-Assessment:
Have students answer the following in their journals:

• What did you learn today about adding automation to movement?
• When can automation be helpful?
• What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?
• Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time management today.
• Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials (parts) management today.