Robotics/Engineer Program
Teacher
Mr. Hamilton Smith graduated with Bachelor's degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Memphis. He has taught AP Physics, Pre-Calculus, and Algebra, done technical support mentoring for both Dell and Gateway computers, and invented a self-closing notebook for Innocentive. While teaching high school, he coached a First Robotics team. His hobbies include making neat electronics, music, and art.
Becoming a Maker: Electronics and Programming for Kids
This program is designed to introduce students to basic electrical and electronics design and programming. The course employs a “learn by doing and discovery” approach, which lets kids grow their skills and knowledge while having fun experiences. Students will experience the facts of electrostatics by levitating objects electrically, witness magnetic lines of force, build their own batteries, motors, and radios, learn to read circuit schematics, identify electrical components, interface micro-controllers with computers and the internet, make a 3D touch-less computer interface, interface self-made electronics with cellphones and tablets, code and publish android apps, and create autonomous robots. Students will also create web-pages to show off their work.
The Beginners Group will be able to:
- Understand basic electronics
- Identify electrical components
- Read electrical schematics
- Make electrical measurements
- Make something float on electricity itself
- Make their own fast moving motors out of wire
- Build a radio that needs no batteries
- Design and build simple circuits to drive motors, receive input from sensors, and light LEDs.
- Control a computer with a banana and a bucket of water (or almost any other object they can think of!)
- Make a light following robot
- Make an autonomous robot
- Make a web page to show off their creations
The Intermediate Group will be able to:
- Understand basic electronics
- Solder circuitry
- Read electrical schematics
- Identify electrical components
- Make electrical measurements
- Make something float on electricity itself
- Make their own fast moving motors out of wire
- Design and build simple circuits to drive motors, receive input from sensors, and light LEDs.
- Control a computer with a banana and a bucket of water (or almost anything else!)
- Understand and write computer programs
- Make a 3D touch-less computer interface
- Connect micro-controllers to the internet as part of the 'Internet of Things'
- Make a light following robot
- Make a computer controlled autonomous robot
- Make a web page to show off their creations
The class project: Mind controlled robot or wireless robotic hand
The The Advanced Group :
will in addition to all of the abovementioned objectives achieve a solid understanding of both C/C++ for Arduino and Java for Android devices, enabling students to interface micro-controllers, Android tablets, and phones, like the Google Nexus and Samsung Galaxy. Students enrolled in the advanced group will also be taught how to create and publish their own apps for these devices.
Mr. Hamilton Smith graduated with Bachelor's degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Memphis. He has taught AP Physics, Pre-Calculus, and Algebra, done technical support mentoring for both Dell and Gateway computers, and invented a self-closing notebook for Innocentive. While teaching high school, he coached a First Robotics team. His hobbies include making neat electronics, music, and art.
Becoming a Maker: Electronics and Programming for Kids
This program is designed to introduce students to basic electrical and electronics design and programming. The course employs a “learn by doing and discovery” approach, which lets kids grow their skills and knowledge while having fun experiences. Students will experience the facts of electrostatics by levitating objects electrically, witness magnetic lines of force, build their own batteries, motors, and radios, learn to read circuit schematics, identify electrical components, interface micro-controllers with computers and the internet, make a 3D touch-less computer interface, interface self-made electronics with cellphones and tablets, code and publish android apps, and create autonomous robots. Students will also create web-pages to show off their work.
The Beginners Group will be able to:
- Understand basic electronics
- Identify electrical components
- Read electrical schematics
- Make electrical measurements
- Make something float on electricity itself
- Make their own fast moving motors out of wire
- Build a radio that needs no batteries
- Design and build simple circuits to drive motors, receive input from sensors, and light LEDs.
- Control a computer with a banana and a bucket of water (or almost any other object they can think of!)
- Make a light following robot
- Make an autonomous robot
- Make a web page to show off their creations
The Intermediate Group will be able to:
- Understand basic electronics
- Solder circuitry
- Read electrical schematics
- Identify electrical components
- Make electrical measurements
- Make something float on electricity itself
- Make their own fast moving motors out of wire
- Design and build simple circuits to drive motors, receive input from sensors, and light LEDs.
- Control a computer with a banana and a bucket of water (or almost anything else!)
- Understand and write computer programs
- Make a 3D touch-less computer interface
- Connect micro-controllers to the internet as part of the 'Internet of Things'
- Make a light following robot
- Make a computer controlled autonomous robot
- Make a web page to show off their creations
The class project: Mind controlled robot or wireless robotic hand
The The Advanced Group :
will in addition to all of the abovementioned objectives achieve a solid understanding of both C/C++ for Arduino and Java for Android devices, enabling students to interface micro-controllers, Android tablets, and phones, like the Google Nexus and Samsung Galaxy. Students enrolled in the advanced group will also be taught how to create and publish their own apps for these devices.
