My independent project I have been working on is expanding my skills in building and coding the Vex IQ robotics kit. It has a lot of similarities to the Lego Mindstorm robotics kit, using a Lego like structure on its pieces and sensors that are similar to those of Mindstorms. However the kit is not as easy to use and code as the Lego Mindstorm kit, and in this post I will explain why.
First of all to give some background, last year I was given the kit as a project to figure out the basics of building and coding, and I had a lot of fun building the starter bots and I ended up making my own robot that was like a pickup truck of sorts, which was controlled using the controller provided in the kit. But that's all that the kit is good for, making robots that are compatible with the controller. All of the basic starter bots are controlled via the controller, accept for the autonomous bot, which uses a built in code to roam around freely without the controller. The programs I have been using to code the controller and attempt to code the robot manually are easy to use, but does not have any useful functions.
Robot Mesh Studio is their most basic free program, but it is meant to be used by beginner programmers, which is most likely why it has almost no useful functions. The program uses a drag and drop type style of coding that while it is good for making quick and simple programs, it is not good at making any useful or advanced programs, but it is the best program I have found for coding the controller to do specific functions using the buttons, for example lifting a robot arm or moving the robot around.
I wanted to first create a simple program for the clawbot, which would detect when a colored foam sphere would move into the arms of the claw, and then stop, pick up the ball, and place it on the back of the robot. I tried to make this program on Robot mesh Studio, but there are no functions for the color sensor, so I could not make a program that would work for what I wanted to do.
The best kinds of programs to make with Robot Mesh Stdio would be basic motor functions, controller functions, and some sensor functions using mainly touch, gyro, and distance sensors.
So because I could not use this program for what I wanted to do, I tried using another intermediate program that Vex IQ gives its users, called RobotC.
RobotC is much more advanced, and actually has two different ways of coding, a drag and drop type code, which they call "graphical", much like Robot Mesh Studio. And a type style code, which I believe is python based.
I like this program better, because it has more functions, and I was actually able to program my idea of picking up the foam sphere successfully. My robot can drive forwards until it sees the sphere, and then stops and collects it. But now I wanted to make it more challenging for myself, so I have been trying to make a more complicated version of this same program, where it will search around a table for the sphere, and then when it comes in contact with it it will pick it up, but the problem now is not the coding, it is the sensors.
At first I tried to use a touch sensor to detect the foam block, but it would not detect anything unless it is heavy enough to trigger the sensor, which I tried many different objects, of which none worked. I then tried a distance sensor, which also would not detect any object even when placed directly in front of it. So i ended up using a color sensor, but the problem with the color sensor is that it only detects color when it is within around a centimeter from the sensor. So the sensors will not work for the functions I want to do. And unfortunately I have not had time to try any other programs for the clawbot, because I have been trying to get this program finished since I started.
And as for the other motors and sensors that come with the kit, the motors are very weak, and sometimes malfunction or cannot support the weight of the bot, which doesn't really help their case. the touch sensors are way too stiff, and the touch led sensor doesn't really have any real applications, because it can only be activated by heated touch, like a finger.
The building style though is interesting, the pieces are easy to connect, but they are sometimes difficult to disconnect, and there are many pieces that have no uses, and there are sometimes where I would like to connect two things together or make a certain shape or design for my robots, but the pieces included cannot do those things. If there were more pieces available to use it would be much better, but the kits are only so big. The building style is defiantly not as widely ranged as Legos, but then again Legos have been around for much longer.
Overall I don't think that the Vex IQ was meant to be used to program manually, I think it was only meant to be used with the controller. Every picture or video I see of a person using a Vex IQ kit has had a controller in hand. The Vex IQ competitive competition, which they call the "ringmaster challenge", isn't even a coding competition like the bot ball competitions, the robots use controllers to try and score as many points as possible in a limited amount of time. And all of the projects suggestions that they give for students to build and try use the controllers. I don't think that these kits are meant to be for coders, mainly children who want to have fun making remote controlled robots at home or at school, but I would not recommend giving the kits to anyone older than middle school.
I wanted to experiment more with Vex IQ because I thought it could live up to a bot ball-like standard, where students could learn how to code the robots and do advanced functions, and maybe even be able to compete with bot ball robots, but the styles that the kits were created just aren't the same. The Vex IQ bots can barely do basic functions, let alone a whole table set up of functions all in a row. The ringmaster challenge seems to be an attempt at copying bot ball, but its definitely not as cool or fun as a bot ball competition.
I guess I'll start looking for a new project......
First of all to give some background, last year I was given the kit as a project to figure out the basics of building and coding, and I had a lot of fun building the starter bots and I ended up making my own robot that was like a pickup truck of sorts, which was controlled using the controller provided in the kit. But that's all that the kit is good for, making robots that are compatible with the controller. All of the basic starter bots are controlled via the controller, accept for the autonomous bot, which uses a built in code to roam around freely without the controller. The programs I have been using to code the controller and attempt to code the robot manually are easy to use, but does not have any useful functions.
Robot Mesh Studio is their most basic free program, but it is meant to be used by beginner programmers, which is most likely why it has almost no useful functions. The program uses a drag and drop type style of coding that while it is good for making quick and simple programs, it is not good at making any useful or advanced programs, but it is the best program I have found for coding the controller to do specific functions using the buttons, for example lifting a robot arm or moving the robot around.
I wanted to first create a simple program for the clawbot, which would detect when a colored foam sphere would move into the arms of the claw, and then stop, pick up the ball, and place it on the back of the robot. I tried to make this program on Robot mesh Studio, but there are no functions for the color sensor, so I could not make a program that would work for what I wanted to do.
The best kinds of programs to make with Robot Mesh Stdio would be basic motor functions, controller functions, and some sensor functions using mainly touch, gyro, and distance sensors.
So because I could not use this program for what I wanted to do, I tried using another intermediate program that Vex IQ gives its users, called RobotC.
RobotC is much more advanced, and actually has two different ways of coding, a drag and drop type code, which they call "graphical", much like Robot Mesh Studio. And a type style code, which I believe is python based.
I like this program better, because it has more functions, and I was actually able to program my idea of picking up the foam sphere successfully. My robot can drive forwards until it sees the sphere, and then stops and collects it. But now I wanted to make it more challenging for myself, so I have been trying to make a more complicated version of this same program, where it will search around a table for the sphere, and then when it comes in contact with it it will pick it up, but the problem now is not the coding, it is the sensors.
At first I tried to use a touch sensor to detect the foam block, but it would not detect anything unless it is heavy enough to trigger the sensor, which I tried many different objects, of which none worked. I then tried a distance sensor, which also would not detect any object even when placed directly in front of it. So i ended up using a color sensor, but the problem with the color sensor is that it only detects color when it is within around a centimeter from the sensor. So the sensors will not work for the functions I want to do. And unfortunately I have not had time to try any other programs for the clawbot, because I have been trying to get this program finished since I started.
And as for the other motors and sensors that come with the kit, the motors are very weak, and sometimes malfunction or cannot support the weight of the bot, which doesn't really help their case. the touch sensors are way too stiff, and the touch led sensor doesn't really have any real applications, because it can only be activated by heated touch, like a finger.
The building style though is interesting, the pieces are easy to connect, but they are sometimes difficult to disconnect, and there are many pieces that have no uses, and there are sometimes where I would like to connect two things together or make a certain shape or design for my robots, but the pieces included cannot do those things. If there were more pieces available to use it would be much better, but the kits are only so big. The building style is defiantly not as widely ranged as Legos, but then again Legos have been around for much longer.
Overall I don't think that the Vex IQ was meant to be used to program manually, I think it was only meant to be used with the controller. Every picture or video I see of a person using a Vex IQ kit has had a controller in hand. The Vex IQ competitive competition, which they call the "ringmaster challenge", isn't even a coding competition like the bot ball competitions, the robots use controllers to try and score as many points as possible in a limited amount of time. And all of the projects suggestions that they give for students to build and try use the controllers. I don't think that these kits are meant to be for coders, mainly children who want to have fun making remote controlled robots at home or at school, but I would not recommend giving the kits to anyone older than middle school.
I wanted to experiment more with Vex IQ because I thought it could live up to a bot ball-like standard, where students could learn how to code the robots and do advanced functions, and maybe even be able to compete with bot ball robots, but the styles that the kits were created just aren't the same. The Vex IQ bots can barely do basic functions, let alone a whole table set up of functions all in a row. The ringmaster challenge seems to be an attempt at copying bot ball, but its definitely not as cool or fun as a bot ball competition.
I guess I'll start looking for a new project......
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