Robotics is an interesting and very broad area. The department of Physics & Astronomy has developed a workshop for high school students who may be interested in this emerging field. Our hope is to delve into some of the very basic principles and methods. We seek to have students discover the answers to such questions as: How can you maneuver using simple DC-motors or servos? How do you integrate motion and environmental response using a microprocessor? How can one build and test simple electronic circuits that provide speed regulation? How can one sense light, obstacles and other environmental factors using sensors? Last spring we challenged a group of physics majors to design and build a robot that could find and collect paper clips in an enclosed area with obstacles. 

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