Ages 12–14 (or beginners 15+) · 12 sessions
Pilot · not yet classroom-validated
Twelve sessions from a first blinking LED to a slow indoor rover that senses obstacles, decides what to do, can be stopped at once, and is tested properly.
Coming from the unit plans: After R13-U1 to U3, start the Arduino Rescue Rover course at session 10; sessions 5–9 become a quick review.
Done for real: 0/12 sessions · Trials logged: 0
Session 1
A safe indoor mission: obstacles, people's safety and what success means.
In the studio
No studio lab: this session is off-screen.
Build for real
Draw the course and a chassis idea; agree a stop rule.
Evidence
A problem statement, constraints and three test cases.
Session 2
Inputs and outputs; setup() and loop().
In the studio
Build for real
Wire an LED with its resistor and make the blink configurable.
Evidence
An annotated circuit and modified code.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Resistor in series with the LED; USB unplugged while wiring.
Session 3
A button as the operator's command and stop request.
In the studio
Build for real
A button-controlled LED, then a latching stop button.
Evidence
An input state table and a stop demonstration.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Button between the pin and GND, never straight across 5V and GND.
Session 4
Analog and digital readings; thresholds.
In the studio
Build for real
Collect readings and explain a threshold.
Evidence
A measurement table with units.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: USB unplugged while wiring; the potentiometer's outer legs only to 5V and GND; the light sensor has its fixed resistor to GND.
Session 5
Measuring distance; noise; what a model leaves out.
In the studio
Build for real
The sensor detects objects at several distances.
Evidence
At least five ruler-versus-sensor comparisons.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Sensor VCC to 5V and GND to GND, not reversed, before USB goes in.
Session 6
Lights, a buzzer and conditions.
In the studio
Build for real
An audible and visible obstacle warning.
Evidence
Three threshold tests, described.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Each LED has its resistor; the buzzer is a passive piezo on the pin. A magnetic buzzer needs a transistor driver and a flyback diode, never a pin.
Session 7
The motor driver: power vs signal, and speed. Direction comes in session 8.
In the studio
Build for real
An adult-checked circuit drives one motor and stops it.
Evidence
A correct power-path sketch and safe operation.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Motor on its own battery through the driver, never from a pin; grounds joined; battery voltage within the motor's and driver's ratings; a flyback diode across the motor if the driver is a single transistor; wheels lifted off the table for the first power-on.
Session 8
Two-wheel speed combinations: forward, reverse, turn, stop.
In the studio
Build for real
Assemble the chassis; drive forward, reverse, turn and stop.
Evidence
Motion commands and labelled troubleshooting.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Wheels guarded, low speed; the power-off switch cuts the motor battery: tested before driving.
Session 9
Sense → decide → act without blocking: states and millis().
In the studio
Build for real
The first integrated rover with a cautious stop-and-turn.
Evidence
A state diagram and a baseline trial.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Before any trial, test both: the software stop button stops the motors, and the power-off switch cuts the motor battery.
Session 10
A deliberate mismatch between sensor, wiring, code and motor direction.
In the studio
Build for real
Identify, reproduce, isolate and repair one fault.
Evidence
A debug record with observed data.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Deliberate faults go in the code or sensor wiring only, never in the power path (no reversed battery, no motor on a pin). Power off before touching any wire; re-check after each repair.
Session 11
Compare two strategies with a controlled, repeatable test.
In the studio
Build for real
Five indoor course trials; improve one subsystem; five more.
Evidence
A before/after table, the failure cases and the chosen fix.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: Course clear of people's feet and anything fragile; the power-off switch (motor battery) tested before the first trial.
Run five trials, make one change, then run five more. Record every trial, not just the good ones.
Session 12
Demonstrate, explain, and say honestly what it can't do.
In the studio
Build for real
The final rescue course demo, with the power switch in use.
Evidence
Design sketch, code, test evidence and a reflection.
⚠ Adult checks before power-on: The power-off switch (motor battery) tested before the demo.
Capstone
A small indoor robot must cross a pretend supply corridor without hitting cardboard obstacles. It must stop when commanded and work over several trials.
Constraints. Low voltage, low speed, indoors; a visible stop switch; no contact with people. Keep the course within the sensor's range and the rover's turning space: measure those, don't guess.
Test protocol. Mark start and goal and measure the route. Use five different but repeatable obstacle placements. Record each trial, make one change, then run the trials again. One good run is not reliability.