The shape of the lesson
By the end of the lesson, learners can
- What makes a robot?: Exam questions often ask you to describe the characteristics of a robot.
- Robots at work: The syllabus lists six areas.
- For and against: As with automated systems, learn the general points, then apply them to the robot in the question.
- Robotics: the design, construction and operation of robots.
- Characteristics: mechanical structure; electrical components (sensors, microprocessor, actuators); programmable.
- Areas: industry, transport, agriculture, medicine, domestic, entertainment.
- Evaluate: link every advantage and disadvantage to the robot in the question.
One picture every idea returns to
Robotics is a branch of computer science that incorporates the design, construction and operation of robots. A robot has three characteristics: a mechanical structure or framework (body, arms, wheels, joints); electrical components such as sensors, microprocessors and actuators that let it sense and move; and it is programmable, so it follows a stored program and can be reprogrammed to do a different task. Examples include factory equipment, domestic robots and drones.
Forty-five minutes, phase by phase
| Time | Phase | What happens in the room | Grouping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Hook: predict | Open with the question in the title, Machines that move for us.. A robot arm welding cars, a vacuum cleaner finding its way round a sofa, a drone checking crops from the air: all are robots. Put the figure on the board: it is the one picture every idea in the lesson returns to. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 5 to 13 min | Teach and check: What makes a robot? | Exam questions often ask you to describe the characteristics of a robot. Your turn: A remote-control toy car is driven entirely by a child using a handset. Explain why it is not usually classed as a robot. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 13 to 21 min | Teach and check: Robots at work | The syllabus lists six areas. Model the worked example Domestic robot on the board, one line at a time. | Pairs |
| 21 to 30 min | Teach and check: For and against | As with automated systems, learn the general points, then apply them to the robot in the question. Your turn: A hospital uses a robot to help surgeons carry out operations. Give one advantage and one disadvantage. | Cooperative Concept Mapping |
| 30 to 36 min | Check | The four Stage 1 questions from the student lesson, answered on mini whiteboards or by show of fingers. Re-teach the one most get wrong. | Individual, then whole class |
| 36 to 43 min | Plenary | The exam-style questions from Stage 2, one at a time: thirty seconds alone, then a random call. The feedback lines in the key give the examiner's wording. | Individual, random call |
| 43 to 45 min | Exit and homework | Set the worksheet below (6 questions, 16 marks). Learners self-assess against the objectives before they leave. | Individual |
Protect the parts that carry the learning
The sequence carries about fifty minutes of material, so the lab is driven by one student while the class predicts rather than explored freely. Times are a guide.
Protected: the check at 30 minutes. It is the only individual read on whether the key idea landed, and it is not cut.
Cut first if the build overruns: the last check in For and against, never the check or the plenary.
In a 60 minute block: run worksheet questions 1 to 3 in class as a Rally Coach set and model both the hardest worked example and its check live.
Cooperative Concept Mapping
Teams receive the key terms on cards and arrange them on a large sheet, drawing and labelling the links. Compare maps between teams before showing the model map.
The full structure, with its variations and the other twelve, is on the cooperative-learning page.
What to head off, and how
| Trap learners fall into | Teaching move that pre-empts it |
|---|---|
| "A robot is a machine that looks like a human" is wrong. | Most robots look nothing like people; what matters is the structure, the electrical components and being programmable. |
| A drone is a robot when it is programmed to fly a route or uses its sensors to act on its own (e.g. a crop-spraying drone). | Say what it does in the scenario, not just "it flies". |
| "Robots are cheaper" needs care: they are expensive to buy, but can be cheaper to run over time. | Say which one you mean. |
Robotics: worksheet
6 questions, 16 marks. Written in the style of the papers; no past paper question is reproduced.
State what is meant by robotics.
Describe the three characteristics of a robot.
A fruit farm uses a robot to pick apples. Describe how the robot uses sensors, a microprocessor and actuators to pick an apple.
A warehouse is thinking about using robots to move and pack goods. Give two advantages and two disadvantages to the warehouse.
Explain why a robot used in a theme park ride (an animatronic dinosaur) is an example of robotics in entertainment.
A care home is thinking about using robots to look after elderly residents. Give two reasons why the managers might decide not to replace care workers with robots.
Answer key and marking notes
A branch of computer science that incorporates the design, construction and operation of robots.
- It has a mechanical structure or framework (e.g. arms, wheels, joints).
- It has electrical components such as sensors, a microprocessor and actuators.
- It is programmable: it follows a stored program and can be reprogrammed.
- A camera / light sensor captures images of the tree and sends the data to the microprocessor.
- The microprocessor processes the images to find an apple, checks it is ripe (e.g. by its colour or size) and works out its position.
- It sends signals to the actuators (motors) to move the arm to the apple and close the gripper.
- A pressure sensor in the gripper checks the grip is not too tight, so the apple is not bruised, before the arm places it in a box.
- Advantage: robots can work 24 hours a day without breaks, so more orders are packed.
- Advantage: fewer mistakes / consistent packing; fewer injuries from lifting heavy goods.
- Disadvantage: the robots are expensive to buy, program and maintain.
- Disadvantage: workers may lose their jobs; a breakdown or unusual item could stop the system.
- It has a mechanical framework moved by actuators (motors) controlled by a microprocessor.
- It is programmed to repeat the same movements and sounds for every audience, and sensors can trigger the show when a ride car arrives.
- Robots lack human empathy and the personal contact residents need.
- Robots cannot cope well with unexpected situations (e.g. a resident falling ill) that need human judgement; they are also expensive.
6 multiple-choice questions on this lesson
From the topic question bank. Assign them in the app for a marked score in your gradebook, or run the topic as a class game.
Which list gives the three characteristics of a robot?
- AA mechanical structure, electrical components and being programmable
- BA human-like shape, electrical components and being programmable
- CA mechanical structure, the ability to learn and a human-like shape
- DElectrical components, wireless control and the ability to speak
A robot vacuum cleaner stops and turns when it detects a wall. Which electrical component detects the wall?
- AA proximity sensor
- BA motor
- CThe microprocessor
- DThe mechanical framework
Which of these is an example of a robot used in agriculture?
- AA drone that sprays crops only where they need it
- BA robot arm that welds car bodies
- CA robot that helps a surgeon carry out an operation
- DA robot that cleans the windows of a house
A car factory replaces its human paint sprayers with robots. Which is a disadvantage for the factory?
- AThe robots are expensive to buy, program and maintain
- BEvery car gets an even, consistent coat of paint
- CWorkers are no longer exposed to paint fumes
- DThe robots can work through the night without breaks
A warehouse robot moves boxes between shelves. The company changes its shelf layout. Which characteristic of a robot means it can still be used?
- AIt is programmable, so it can be reprogrammed for the new layout
- BIt has a mechanical framework, so it can carry heavy boxes
- CIt has sensors, so it never needs any new instructions
- DIt has actuators, so it can decide where the new shelves are
A child drives a remote-control car using a handset; the car has motors and a battery but no stored program. Why is it not usually classed as a robot?
- AIt is not programmable: the child controls every move
- BIt does not have a mechanical structure such as a body and wheels
- CIt does not contain any electrical components at all
- DIt is too small to be classed as a robot
Quiz key
A robot has a mechanical structure or framework, electrical components (such as sensors, microprocessors and actuators) and is programmable. Most robots do not look human, so a human-like shape is not a characteristic. The ability to learn is a feature of some AI, not a defining characteristic of a robot. Wireless control and speech are features of some robots only.
A proximity (or touch) sensor detects that the wall is close and sends data to the microprocessor. The motor is an actuator that turns the wheels once it is told to. The microprocessor decides what to do with the data but does not detect the wall itself. The framework is the mechanical body, not an electrical component.
A crop-spraying drone works on a farm, so it is an agricultural robot. Welding car bodies is an industrial use. A surgical robot is a medical use. A window-cleaning robot in a house is a domestic use.
Robots have a high initial cost, and they need programming and maintenance, which is a disadvantage. Consistent results, keeping workers away from harmful fumes and working 24/7 are all advantages of using robots.
Because a robot is programmable, its stored instructions can be changed to suit the new layout. The framework lets it carry boxes but does not help it follow a new layout. Sensors gather data but the robot still needs a program telling it what to do. Actuators carry out movements; decisions are made by the program running on the microprocessor.
The car has a mechanical structure (body and wheels) and electrical components (motors and a battery), but it does not carry out a stored program, so it fails the 'programmable' characteristic. It clearly has a body and wheels, and the motors are electrical. Size has nothing to do with whether something is a robot.
Slides for this lesson
A projectable deck for every pack is on the way. Until then, present the student lesson full screen: its sections, figure and lab tabs follow the same order as the plan above.