a-MAZE-ing Spheros
What the heck is a sphero?
A sphero is a white orb robot about the size of a baseball. This little ball can move around, make sounds, change color and even go underwater. The sphero is controlled using an app called Lightening Lab where it can either be driven manually or programmed using block coding. Spheros can be used to help teach various concepts ranging from planetary motion to the Revolutionary War. In this project, I used block coding to navigate a sphero through a maze.
Here's a picture of the maze. It was made using wooden dowels and card board toilet paper rolls. Really anything that can act as a barrier can be used.
Problem Solving
I ran into a few roadblocks when coding the sphero that I had to problem solve for. At times, the sphero would either go too far or not far enough to make the turns. To remedy this, I marked a starting point so that the sphero would start at the same point consistently. I also noticed that the sphero would become unstable when it changed direction or moved too quickly. To fix this, I added a delay of .5 seconds between every turn so that the sphero would come to a stop and have time to stabilize. In addition, I added the stabilization feature to help it balance. Figuring out the time to tell the sphero to roll also took some time. At first, I would estimate a time that I thought it would take for the sphero roll to the next turn. If it was too short, I would add time to it. If it ran into the barrier, I would reduce the time.
Below are screenshots of the program that I coded.
Essential Math Standards
4.MD.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.
4.MD.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
4.G.1 Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
4.G.2 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size.