Today we used what we learned yesterday about construction and friction in our projects. Campers constructed a "driving base unit" using the LEGO NXT "intelligent brick" as the basis for the robotic vehicle. This sophisticated system emphasizes the programming aspects of robotics and offers a wide variety of engineering and modeling possibilities. They developed their fundamental robotics programming knowledge with the first activity, "Walk the Dog," which challenged the campers to program their unit to move forward from one box into another. Then, they took on the more difficult challenge of "Gas Catastrophe," in which they had to design, build, and program a robotic vehicle that delivers and deposits gas neutralizing pellets (wiffle balls) to three different rooms in a contaminated building. This complex problem called upon the campers to develop creative approaches and designs. However, they were equal to the task, and demonstrated uncommon persistence and determination in their work. The teams of campers used a variety of different techniques for delivering and depositing the pellets. The campers rose to the challenge and performed magnificently! 

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