R17-U4 · usually age 17 · Autonomy Innovators

Community Robotics Capstone

What useful robot can we design responsibly?

Outline: sessions not yet written

Build: Autonomous delivery or assistance prototype

Who it is for

Age is a starting point, never a limit. A learner who can show what this unit starts from can begin here at any age.

How they learn: By designing systems in C++ or Python, using simulation as preparation, and proving behaviour with measured trials.
The adult's role: An adult reviews safety, tools and higher-risk subsystems.
Session: 90–120 minutes
Hardware: Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico, ESP32 or a Raspberry Pi computer. Many of these boards are 3.3 V: use level shifting for 5 V parts. Advance only after driver and power competency.

Fail-safe autonomy
Design and test what an autonomous robot does when a part fails.
Built in R17-U3 Safe Autonomy
Planning
Plan a path and choose actions that reach a goal safely.
Built in R17-U3 Safe Autonomy
Simulation to design
Use a simulation to inform a physical design, and document the gap.
Built in R17-U2 Build and Simulate
Responsible robotics
Weigh safety, privacy and fairness in how a robot is used.
Built in R16-U3 Machine Learning Literacy
Real-world value
Show with evidence that a robot improves a real workflow.
Built in R16-U4 Sort for a Purpose
Meeting a specification
Meet a numeric specification and report how close the robot came.
Built in R14-U4 Precision Route Challenge
Explaining a design
Explain how a machine works and what to improve.
Built in R08-U4 Interactive Robot Story
Documenting
Document trials and changes so someone else can follow them.
Built in R11-U4 Robot Trail Mission

Robotics engineer
Design, build, test and present a useful robot responsibly, end to end.
The destination: a robotics engineer's capstone.

No studio lab or activity for this unit yet.

This unit is an outline: a title, a question and an intended prototype. Its sessions, materials and adult guide are not written yet.