Your team will research existing products (robotic and non-robotic) that perform similar tasks as your team’s robot concept. Summarize the features of 3-4 competing products, and analyze the competing products to identify opportunities to make your team’s robot concept innovative compared to the competition.

Gather information to summarize the following for each competing product:

• What is the product's name and its specific context of use? (include product image)

• What are the key functions and features of the product?

• What are the key parts (sensors, motors, etc.) that the product uses to perform its tasks?

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the product?

• What information sources were used in your research? (include links to sources)

❏ Deliverable

Submit a document or presentation that summarizes each competing product and identifies opportunities for your team’s robot concept to be innovative compared to the competition.

TK

Your team will diagram and describe 3 task scenarios that your robot prototype could demonstrate. These tasks could represent:

• different tasks that the robot will complete

• variations of the same task to show the robot's flexibility (such as: traveling to different destinations, avoiding obstacles even if their location changes, etc.).

For example, imagine that your team is designing a hotel robot that transports luggage for the hotel guests. The first task might be for the robot to deliver luggage to a guest's room by navigating from the lobby through the hotel hallways to a specific guest room. The second task might be for the robot to navigate safely back to the lobby. The third task might be to deliver another set of luggage to a different guest room.

In the second phase of the project, your team will program its robot to perform its tasks within a demonstration environment (6 feet by 6 feet) that you'll construct. You'll create and place objects and other features in the demo environment to create a model that represents a real-world environment. (If necessary for your robot demonstration, your team could rearrange certain objects during or between tasks to represent changes in the environment.)

1. Discuss and decide on 3 task scenarios that your team's robot prototype could demonstrate. It might be helpful to create simple sketches of the robot demo environment (top-down view of square environment) to show possible objects and features, as well as the robot's possible path and actions as it completes the task. Later in this assignment, you'll create digital diagrams of each task scenario.

2. Write a brief description of each task scenario. Be sure to include:

   • the robot's overall goal for the task scenario

   • a description of the robot demo environment (e.g., its objects and other features)

   • a list of the key steps or behaviors that the robot will need to perform in order to complete the task — keep in mind that you can simulate certain steps or behaviors as long your robot can meaningfully demonstrate the main task (be sure to identify if a specific step or behavior will be simulated)

   • at least one possible method to measure or evaluate the robot's performance during the task — such as:

     • accuracy (e.g., robot will stop within 6 inches of its intended destination, etc.)

     • efficiency (e.g., robot will complete the task within 20 seconds, etc.)

     • avoiding errors (e.g., robot will have no more than 1 collision, etc.)

3. Create a diagram for each task scenario. The diagram should be a top-down view of the robot demo environment (which will be 6 feet by 6 feet square). The objects and other features in the environment should be drawn to approximate scale size relative to each other. Be sure the diagram is easy to understand.

   • You can use this Google Drawing template for each Robot Task Scenario Diagram (the robot is a separate object layer that can be moved and rotated as needed). REMINDER: To use the template, select "Make a copy" from the File menu, and save it to your shared team folder in Google Drive.

   • Use shapes (rectangles, circles, lines, etc.) to draw simple representations of objects and other features that will be included in the environment (such as: walls, obstacles, people, surface lines, etc.). Add text labels to identify key objects or features.

   • Show the robot at its starting position for the task, and use dashed arrows to draw the robot's path as it performs the task. Add text labels to identify key steps or behaviors along the robot's path.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's descriptions and diagrams of its 3 robot task scenarios

You'll create a slide presentation that summarizes your team’s proposal for its robot prototype. Practice your presentation before delivering it to your class. This will be an opportunity for other project teams to ask questions and provide constructive feedback to help your team clarify and improve its project concept.

Your team's presentation should include the following (in this order):

1. Project Team: product name, team name, team members & their roles

2. Value Proposition: Be sure the value proposition for your project concept is clear and compelling.

3. Competitive Analysis: Briefly describe the examples of competing products & highlight their key strengths and weaknesses. Explain the opportunities your team identified to design a product that is unique or better compared to the competitors.

4. User Research (Persona): Identify how many people were interviewed and how they were selected. Highlight key aspects of the persona that was created from the interview data.

5. Robot Task Scenarios: Show the diagrams for the robot task scenarios, and briefly explain each task scenario: what is the goal of the task, what will the demo environment include, what behaviors will the robot demonstrate, what parts or actions might be simulated, how will the robot's performance be measured or evaluated, etc.

The presentation should have 6-12 slides and take 5-10 minutes to deliver.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team’s slide presentation

You'll conduct background research to:

• better understand what a robot is

• become familiar with examples of different types of robots.

Instructions for both research tasks are listed below.

What is a Robot?

1. Think about how you might define a "robot" in your own words: What is a robot? How would you decide whether something was a robot or not? Briefly discuss and compare your ideas with other students.

2. Use these resources to learn more about robots:

   • WATCH: (4 minutes to watch)

   • READ: (7 minutes to read)

   • WATCH: (6 minutes to watch)

3. Answer the following questions based on what you watched and read:

   • What is the “Sense-Think-Act” cycle, and how is it useful for understanding robots?

   • Why would a remote-controlled drone not be considered a robot?

   • How are robots and artificial intelligence (AI) related, and how are they distinct?

   • What are some possible benefits and risks associated with increased use of robots to automate tasks?

Examples of Robots

2. Conduct internet research to find a specific example for three different types of robots. Gather information to summarize the following for each robot example:

   • What is the robot's name, and what type of robot is it (e.g., consumer, industrial, etc.)? Be sure to include an image of the robot.

   • What is the robot's purpose (e.g., what tasks does it perform), and what is its context of use (e.g., when and where is it used)?

   • What benefit or value does the robot provide? (e.g., is it more convenient, is it more efficient or accurate, is it safer, does it perform tasks not possible otherwise, etc.)

   • SENSE: What physical inputs (sensors, etc.) does the robot have? What data does it gather from its physical environment using these inputs?

   • THINK: What kind of decisions can the robot make based on the data it gathers from its physical environment?

   • ACT: What physical outputs (motors, etc.) does the robot have? What actions can it perform in its physical environment using these outputs?

   • What information sources were used in your research? (include links to sources)

3. Create a slide presentation to summarize your research findings for each robot example, and briefly present one or more of your examples to the class.

❏ Deliverables

Submit the following:

• A document with your answers to the questions based on the robot videos and article

• A slide presentation with the research summary of your robot examples

TK

Your team will generate possible ideas for a two-wheeled robot that performs useful tasks for people. After evaluating the ideas, your team will select one concept for your team’s project.

1. If necessary, review the , including the criteria and constraints.

2. Each team member should independently generate and record at least 10 possible ideas for a two-wheeled robot that could perform useful tasks within a specific context (home, school, business, etc.). If helpful, create quick sketches to help illustrate ideas.

3. As a team, discuss and refine your ideas to form a combined numbered list of ideas for your robot prototype. For each idea, discuss these questions and make any refinements:

   • What are different tasks or behaviors that your robot prototype could demonstrate?

   • Are there certain robot parts or actions that would need to be simulated? If so, can you still create a robot prototype that performs the main tasks?

   • What is the value or benefit of having a robot (instead of a person) perform the tasks?

4. Construct a to help evaluate your team’s list of ideas by ranking the relative weight (from Low to High) of each robot idea on these two criteria (and then plotting a numbered point on the matrix to represent each concept):

   • User Value (how useful and valuable would this robot likely be to people)

   • Team Interest (how much interest do you have in pursuing this as your project)

5. Use the decision matrix to select one idea to pursue for your team’s project. Ideally, your selected idea will have high user value and high team interest.

❏ Deliverable

Submit the following:

• Each team member’s initial list of ideas

• Your team’s combined numbered list of ideas and its decision matrix. Be sure to identify which idea was selected for your team's project.

Each team will complete the to develop a firm understanding of the technical opportunities and constraints your team will have when designing your own robot prototype with the provided robotics kit.

❏ Deliverable

Demonstrate that you have completed the tutorials and can discuss how the robotics kit and code work together.

Your team will discuss and create a value proposition for your team’s robot concept using this format:

• For [describe target users] who [describe problem or need], [name of product] is a [describe type of product] that [describe benefit or value].

Your team's value proposition is an “elevator pitch” that quickly communicates your robot concept to outside people and helps provide focus to your team as you design, build, and evaluate your robot prototype.

❏ Deliverable

Submit a document with your team's value proposition for your robot concept.

VALUE PROPOSITION:

For busy people who want an easier way to keep their home clean, FloorBot is a cleaning robot that vacuums carpets and cleans floors, saving time and effort.

Your team will conduct user research by interviewing potential users (or other stakeholders) for your robot concept. The interviews will be an opportunity to better understand the users' needs and expectations by verifying: what tasks your robot could perform for the users, and how users might expect the tasks to be performed.

Analyze your interview data to create a persona of a typical user/stakeholder for the robot, which will help inform and guide your design process. Here are that explain personas and describe a process for interviewing users to create a persona.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's interview questions, interview data, and persona.

TK