Day 2 is the day that allowed campers do some problem solving with some technical issues of the Advanced Robotics Camp 2004 in Murray. All the activities we worked on today are preparation for the advanced design challenges for the rest of the week. We began working with gears, pulleys, capacitors and solar panels to complete specific tasks that required the use of motors. There were specific design challenges that the campers met. Using manual power, the campers designed projects that used up to 11 gears and 6 pulleys to make their passengers spin. By adding a solar cell and a motor, the campers were able to bring their creations to life. (Yes, even with party cloudy sky they generated enough electricity to "Spin the Ghost the Most.") Next, campers were given the task of constructing a "Capacitor Dragster" using a charged capacitor cell as the energy source for their vehicle. After the morning break, a new challenge was issued: design a fan that would be powered by their solar panels. The last challenge for the day was the "Crank Generator" where the teams designed a vehicle driven by two hand cranked motor. To complete this challenge the campers must work together to control the speed and direction of the vehicle. The record for today was 9.72 seconds set by Team 4. Congratulations to all the groups who completed this challenge!

Tomorrow, the campers will be ready for a refresher course on programming the RCX bricks and be ready to move on the the more challenging programming tasks.  

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