Virtual Robot Simulator | FIRST Tech Challenge - FTC Virtual Robots

VRS Workshop Curriculum

Interested in hosting an event to spread STEM education in your community? We have developed a curriculum to teach VRS that has been backed up by statistics.

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Virtual Programming Workshop and Competition

VRS provides a great tool to engage younger audiences in programming. We have organized a 5 day curriculum(which can be split up over multiple weeks) that you and/or your FIRST team can host in a competition format. This will teach your audience about how to use VRS, and the basics of programming for FIRST Tech Challenge

Sections in this page

Document Version of this page

Success Statistics of this program

Teaching Resources

Session-by-session lesson schedule

Document Version

If you prefer a printable, document version of this guide, visit this google doc.

Success Statistics

We have collected survey results from workshops hosted using this curriculum. See our success statistics here.

Teaching Resources

Teaching materials

– Review the teacher PowerPoint presentation -Week by week guide https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dVfwEK-_UCTQEo3_5BZdFIUU–5ailWTRsDsafzcpwE/edit?usp=sharing Adjust terminology-Week might be Sessions

– Teacher VRS  STEM Weekly Lesson Schedule   The VRS project in a list form https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOemVCFisBYVKSoeL5AiRBbi5VB-dhH1_UqmNCVaHJY/edit?usp=sharing 

– The 10 VRS  lessons with answers  (multiple solutions) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hoTT80vSFAznXJxUHRxzsnOcURv5CSV3Pf-GS-vgjOA/edit?usp=sharing 

– Make a copy of the engineering notebook -distribute to your students https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qyGyNLw9pPumZ96wTky8ACmgE8rPDQfcGqwqq_Au8yM/edit?usp=sharing 

– Pseudocode Student ws -make copies  or  teacher Pseudocode VRS lessons https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I3RJS1yDaJZkFSqaZ1aQKD1xA567_Pyq9T-sW4VZSac/edit?

– Tour of the interface https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Z0oj0JzIjwA9IhzJbJSLtDOsEdYkQ-wXU_Izl9YQnE/edit?usp=sharing 

– What the final day might look like  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1O96j0mnrivDPsFpzQH2PywAVV5aVgiS87NmtrLG7ppc/edit?usp=sharing 

Useful links or other helpful videos

– Scoring Handout- click here-may want to have a hardcopy/stu

– Game Pad buttons

– how to make your robot reload rings https://youtu.be/c89Kd2PHrrc   or  https://youtu.be/35_2vKtuvBQ  the reload ring code one of many options

– Shooting rings at the PowerShot targets https://youtReload ringsu.be/e9HhnPiYGC4

– How to shoot rings at the high goal https://youtu.be/NGVdLI4G_2E

– Programming the shooter https://youtu.be/0aAjqJnvU1E

– Scoring Rules scoring rules ultimate goal click here 

– While loops matter https://youtu.be/FNvfNwPqAv8

– Using Color Sensors  click

– Multiplayer set up directions   click 

Schedule

 

Session # 1-Intro and Game Reveal

Lesson #1

Week 1 intro to lesson   Video 

Mission and Vision of First

-Show video “What is FIRST” by Will.i.am https://bit.ly/3BT9hRh  4 min

Lesson #2

Week 1 intro to lesson Video 2  15 min Game Reveal

Launch of the FIRST Tech Challenge and Engineering Notebook

  • People in Group

  • Name of your team

  • Answer the following: 

    • What’s your mission

    • What excites you about this Unit

  • What are you wondering about this Unit

Extra Materials or Video

***Launch For teachers*** This isn’t a Robot https://bit.ly/3x8i0zD 

Optional Hw

Reflect in Engineering Notebook:What is FIRST?

Session # 2-play the game teleop

Lesson #3

Week 2 intro to lesson 3 Video 

Intro to TELEOP and Play

Show gamepad image 

Lesson #4

(no intro video)

Students play teleop game- written directions   video directions click here

Engineering Notebook

       What did you do?  What did I learn?

        Did you include an image?

Extra Materials or Video

**Need video game remote controllers” xbox controllers

Optional HW

  1. how to use the VRS video  click here  Getting Started VRS-ug

  2. Locating the blocks for programming https://youtu.be/7PgNPSJnA3Q

  3. How to use basic blocks https://youtu.be/39l5_7c1CYY

Reflection

Explain how you controlled the robot?

Session # 3-Start to Program

Lesson #5  Week 3 intro to lesson 5 Video 1

Show how to use video  click here

Or students open website -follow “text” directions  

Autonomous-Drive to the white line 2 motors

  1. Write your pseudocode

  2. Drive to the white line hint https://youtu.be/x7BokrnYRVQ  

    1. Drive to white line https://youtu.be/ZgVQHswMonk 

    2.  the code up close– click here

    3.  Telemetry explainedhttps://youtu.be/ZgVQHswMonk or https://youtu.be/k8meMepfJPs  optional

Lesson #6  Week 3 intro to lesson 6 Video #2

Introduce-Multiple Solutions to every problem

Autonomous-Drive to white line 4 motors

  1. Driver to white line  with four motors hint https://youtu.be/c4eEeLBST9A 

    1. the code click   alternative code click here

Engineering Notebook

-why do programmers use pseudocode?

Extra Materials or Video

1. Locating the blocks for programming https://youtu.be/7PgNPSJnA3Q 

2. How to use basic blocks https://youtu.be/39l5_7c1CYY

Homework-Optional

Compare/Contrast

  •  the Difference between driving a robot with 2 and 4 motors

  • the Difference between TeleOp Vs Autonomous 

  • What does it mean-Multiple Solutions to every problem?

Session # 4-turning/strafing

Lesson #7 Week 4  intro to lesson 7 Video #1

Autonomous-Drive to white line-Turn 90 right and then Make a square

(remind about Multiple Solutions)

  1. Driving make a 90 degree turn hint https://youtu.be/Mwt1i6DcoAw 

Lesson #8 Week 4  intro to lesson 8 Video #2

Autonomous-What does it mean to strafe

    hint https://youtu.be/MXjoF2XXLAE 

               Try Strafing to right to Strafing to left

               Try Strafing in a square

Engineering Notebook

      Why would a programmer want to strafe 

Extra Materials or Video

Turn 

  1. solution https://youtu.be/nx4PnIYA7ns or    https://youtu.be/QInfUHjahq0

  2. the code up close 

  3. alternative program #3 Drive to White Line Turn 90 degrees the code-Redstone

  4. 90 degree turn option 2 motors click here  or scroll down for 4 motors

Strafe

  1. the code   click 

  2. solution https://youtu.be/IGs1DomVS3w 

  3. strafing or moving sideways, first to the right then to the left https://youtu.be/UWXSHuDVKuU    

  4. the strafing code (scroll to end  for strafe with variables)  click here       Strafe in a square click here 

  5. Alternative code click here

Hw-optional

Compare/Contrast

  • Strafing  VS 2 wheel drive

  • How would you turn to the left

  • When might you want to Stafe

Review  video: Programming the shooter https://youtu.be/0aAjqJnvU1E

Session # 5-shooting

Lesson #9  Week 5  intro to lesson 9 Video #1

Shooting rings

Drive and Shoot Rings  into the high goal  hint https://youtu.be/t43pUXOM0Xk 

 Programming the shooter https://youtu.be/0aAjqJnvU1E

Lesson #10 Week 5  intro to lesson 10 Video #1-Award Criteria Videos

Scoring

Engineering Notebook-What target did you shoot at? why?

Extra Materials or Video

Shoot rings at tower

Hw-optional

  • What happens if you hit the middle target.

  • How would you detect the number of rings at the start of Autonomous 

0/2/4 rings.Why does this matter?

     Write out the Steps for your Autonomous

Extra Materials or Video  Example https://youtu.be/HeDn63Jyms4 

Make a Promote Video-Tik Tok style-The VRS is ….

Make speech for 4th-grade students to look forward to for outreach

Engineering Notebook

Session # 5 part 2

Lesson #11  Week 6-intro to this week video All week

Shoot ring Powershots  hint https://youtu.be/SEw5JmZKjJQ 

  Or https://youtReload ringsu.be/e9HhnPiYGC4

Learn to reload rings

how to make your robot reload rings https://youtu.be/c89Kd2PHrrc   or  https://youtu.be/35_2vKtuvBQ  the reload ring code one of many options

Lesson #12

Competition

Engineering Notebook-why do you want to reload rings?

Extra Materials or Video

Drive and Shoot at the Powershots  hint https://youtu.be/SEw5JmZKjJQ 

  1. the code  click

  2. solution (with go to position) https://youtu.be/THkZypgWRhg 

HW-optional

Why do you think that  the towers go red/blue/red?

Session # 6-Wobble Goals

Lesson #9 Video on wobble 

Lift the Wobble Goal

 

  1. Wobble Goal-1st position hint https://youtu.be/9jmv3Qa42sQ 

    1. the code   3 alternative methods  click

    2. solution https://youtu.be/j7tnpOZ_xDw 

    3. How to move the wobble goal https://youtu.be/kf8yT6F7_5c 

  2. Wobble Goal 2nd Position with Encoders  hint https://youtu.be/Bks7X4O9m84 

    1. the code  click

    2. solution with encoders and run to position https://youtu.be/iCbP_eR3QAU

  3. Wobble Goal 3rd position hint https://youtu.be/qqN5xwUKk3M

    1. the code  click

    2. Solution https://youtu.be/qqN5xwUKk3M 

Session # 7-

Lesson #13

Finalize your autonomous-

Lesson #14

The Class competition- everyone get 2 runs

 

Show Promote Videos

What the final event might look like https://youtu.be/V9XyO6ZyN5c 

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated with low confidence

High-quality STEM learning and engagement opportunities can be a game-changer for young people in disenfranchised communities who might otherwise not have access to pathways to the fast-growing STEM economy.

Kids learn coding in an exciting, authentic system-See the world record

 
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Virtual Robot Simulator | FIRST Tech Challenge - FTC Virtual Robots

VIRTUAL ROBOT SIMULATOR IS A SIMPLE, EASY-TO-USE PLATFORM THAT ALLOWS FTC TEAMS TO PROGRAM AND TEST THEIR ROBOTS WITHOUT ACCESS TO PHYSICAL HARDWARE.

Contact:


Email: jweiland@firstillinoisrobotics.org

Github: https://github.com/Virtual-FTC