2 How to Move
Learning Outcomes
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- Introducing the concept of functions.
- Demonstrate how to use functions to make Zumi move forward, backward, and turn.
- Learning how to adjust the parameters of the functions to control the speed, duration, and direction of Zumi’s movements.
- Providing a basic understanding of programming and robotics through hands-on experience with Zumi.
What is a function?
Every block you see in Blockly makes Zumi do a different action. These blocks run code called functions. Think of functions as packages of code that you can use to write your programs. Functions can have inputs and outputs. Blocks that require inputs will have a space for you to input some values. These extra pieces of information are called parameters. Here are some sample blocks that have parameters:
Drive forward
It’s time to make Zumi move! Open the “Driving” menu from the Junior blocks tab to see all of the Junior driving functions.
Click and drag the forward block into the workspace and press the green “Run” button. Make sure Zumi has enough space!
Did Zumi drive forward? Now try changing the seconds parameter. Remember that a parameter is an input that can modify a function. Try driving forward for 3 seconds now.
You can also change the speed that Zumi drives at! Try changing the speed parameter to 20. Speed always ranges from 0 to 100. No, this is not in miles per hour! It is related to Zumi’s battery power.
Wait!
You can connect more than one forward block in a row. Attach some forward blocks together like this. Feel free to change the parameters!
Right now it’s hard to tell when one function ends and the next one begins. Sometimes you want to make the program wait between functions. Open the timing menu and find the “Wait” block.
Then, add a wait for 1 second in between each drive command. Rerun your code and watch what happens. You can also try changing the seconds parameter in the “Wait” blocks to pause for longer between each drive command.
Reverse
The reverse function works almost exactly the same as the forward function. It has a seconds parameter that you can change to set how long Zumi drives. Let’s drive forward for 2 seconds, wait for 2 seconds, then drive in reverse for 2 seconds to return to the start.
Turning
Roads have curves, bends, and turns that Zumi should be able to navigate. There are two turn functions that you can use. One block is for right turns and one block is for left turns. For each turn that you want to make, you need to know how many degrees you want to turn.
Practice driving and turning! You can try different angles by changing the degrees parameter.
If you need some help figuring out the degrees, remember that a circle has 360 degrees. Use this chart to help you.
Test Your Knowledge
Review The Key Concepts
Solve The Problem
Scenario: Our autonomous vehicle needs to deliver a package safely from a storage depot and return to the original location. It is important to make sure the package receiver has enough time to take the package from the vehicle, before it returns to ensure no one is injured.
Problem: How can you run this program on Zumi using the Blockly application?
Sample Solution
There are many different ways that we can solve the problem listed above. Please watch the following video to review a sample solution completed by Ontario Tech University Engineering Students.
Demo
Code
Common Errors
Errors can also occur while creating a solution to the problem. Please review the video below to view some of the common errors that can occur.
