Meet the Team
I write the program: the list of instructions the robot follows.
Who is a computer programmer?
These are the three jobs every robot does.
What are sense, think, and act?
Electricity only flows through this:
What is a closed circuit or complete loop?
This is the money the city won to pay for its new robotics unit.
What is a grant?
Fire departments send robots in first because some places are too hot, too __________, or too unstable for people.
What is smokey?
I fly a camera high above the building to map the fire from the air.
Who is a drone operator?
This sensor can “see” heat, even through thick smoke.
What is a thermal camera?
Metals like copper are this kind of material, because electricity flows through them easily.
What is a conductor?
A part the robot MUST have is a need. A part that’s nice but not necessary is a ______.
What are a want?
This is the word for a list of instructions that a robot follows.
What is a program?
I wire the batteries and circuits so power flows to every part of the robot.
Who is an electrical technician?
This part is called the robot’s “brain.”
What is the controller?
Plastic and rubber are this kind of material, because they block electricity.
What is an insulator?
A team has $5,000. It spends $3,200. This much money is left.
What is $1,800?
This is the word for step-by-step directions that tell a robot exactly where to go.
What is an algorithm?
I design the robot’s moving parts so it is strong enough to climb over rubble.
Who is a mechanical engineer?
Motors that turn the wheels, a gripper arm, and a water sprayer all belong in this group.
What is ACT?
This is the reason robot wires are covered in plastic or rubber.
What is to keep people safe? (The insulator stops the electricity from reaching you.)
A team buys three parts: $1,500, $900, and $600. This is the total cost.
What is $3,000?
After a robot goes in first, it sends this back so firefighters can make a safe plan.
What is information? (Accept: pictures, video, a map, where people are.)
I make sure firefighters can use the robot’s controls even while wearing thick gloves.
Who is an industrial designer?
A microphone that hears a call for help belongs in this group. For full points, say WHY.
What is SENSE? (It takes in information from the world around the robot.)
The robot’s battery is brand new, but its motor won’t run. Name the most likely problem.
What is an open circuit? (A gap, loose wire, or broken wire means the loop isn’t closed.)
The budget is $8,000. The team already bought parts for $4,100, $2,300, and $1,200. Can they also buy a $500 radio? Prove it.
What is NO? ($7,600 spent, $400 left, so they are $100 short.)
Give TWO ways a rescue robot helps during a fire.
Accept any two: finds people who need help; sends back information; keeps firefighters out of danger; moves rubble; sprays water.