Unleash your coding skills with Python

Course Description

Python is one of the fastest growing programming languages. It allows you to write programs in fewer lines of code than many other languages. It is also used in scientific fields for academic research and applied work. This course will put your feet on the first steps on how to start coding using Python. You will learn the basic syntax of how the Python language works.

Course Objectives

The student will learn about the following:

Python Basics to gain the confidence to build larger and more complex program

Learn to use Functions, Lists, Tuples and Sets.

Understand flow control using conditions.

Making simple projects to apply the new knowledge they had acquired.

Intro

• Intro to Spike Prime Hub hardware and ecosystem
• Intro to python programming for robotics
• Building a rover

Robot Movement

• Using code to move motors, and synchronizing them for meaningful robot movement
• Use of encoders to measure movement
• Control of a simple robotic arm

Use of sensors

• Use of force sensor
• Use of light sensor to follow a line
• Use of ultrasonic sensor for obstacle avoidance
• Use of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)

Capstone 1 putting it all together

• Autonomous navigation on a FLL challenge mat

Loops and algorithms

• Repeating robot behavior indefinitely
• Intro to use of feedback loops for more advanced autonomy
• Searching for objects on a map

Discrete decision making

• Intro to decision making
• Looped decisions
• Nested decisions

Continuous decision making

• Limitations of discrete decision making
• Intro to feedback and PID algorithms
• Continuous line following
• Continuous obstacle avoidance
• Continuous pose estimation and correction

Capstone 2 solve an open ended problem

• Autonomous navigation on a FLL challenge mat

Python Level 2

This is an advanced course and requires mastery of mathematical concepts, some linear algebra and physics as well as comfort with python. The concepts being taught are typically reserved for university level, but we've designed the course to be suitable for a younger audience based on prior experience teaching these concepts to middle/highschool students. Due to the advanced nature of the concepts, some units may take more than one session depending on the level of participants.

Review and consolidation of python 1

• Review of motor control
• Quick review of sensors
• Review of boolean logic, loops and decision making

Advanced robot kinematics

• Intro to robot kinematics and pose estimation
• Forward kinematics for differential drive base systems
• Inverse kinematics for differential drive base systems
• Precision motion without IMU

Intelligent motion planning

• Intro to trajectory generation
• Intro to motion Planning
• Intro to sensor fusion
• Discussion of other robotic drivetrain

Control systems

• Review of feedback and proportional algorithms
• Introduction to time-based feedback control systems
• Introduction to PD controller
• High speed line following using PD controllers
• Using proportional controller with various sensors to achieve different tasks
• Consolidation and review of control systems
• Tuning a controller

Robotic manipulators

• Review of robot kinematics
• Build a 2 DoF robotic arm
• Derive forward and inverse kinematics for robotic arm
• Program a brick sorter with the robotic arm