Below is Xan's yearly writing sample-sorry it's not formatted correctly, I still haven't figured out how to do this on blogger... He is required (not that it's a bad thing) to produce an essay once a year in response to a prompt. This year his prompt was to think of something science related and explain the steps involved.
Lego Mindstorms: Building a Robot of Your Very Own
Are you a kid and ever wanted to make a robot? Well, Lego Mindstorms is a set of special legos that can help you make your robot building fantasies come to life. By making a robot frame, programming a robot “brain”, and testing the creation to see if it works properly, you can make a little robot that can serve you. These steps in building your creation require patience, listening to instructions (if you’re taking a class), and asking for help occasionally. The instructions are simple yet tricky to do.
First, you must think of your robots frame. After you think of the frame, get your pieces together and build the frame. Then make a few more bodies and see which body works better than the other. If you see one of the frames working better than all of them, then that’s your Lego structure.
After the frame is constructed, get a few power packs and connect them to your computer. If you only have one USB port, connect them one at a time. Then you have to program what you want your robot to do, such as turning on the T.V. Next download the instructions to your power packs. Wait for it to load then disconnect the USB port from your packs from your computer. Put the power pack on the frame.
Finally connect the power pack to the frame, and it’s time test out your robot. Testing your robot for faults is important because checking for errors will prevent you from having a robot that doesn’t work. If it does not work, you must find your mistakes and fix them. If it works, you have done science by building a technological wonder.
You have used Lego Mindstorms for the first time by building, programming, and testing a robot of your very own. Now, it is time to have fun with the creation. Show your friends and family what it does and how you made it so they can get Mindstorms and build their own robot.
After the frame is constructed, get a few power packs and connect them to your computer. If you only have one USB port, connect them one at a time. Then you have to program what you want your robot to do, such as turning on the T.V. Next download the instructions to your power packs. Wait for it to load then disconnect the USB port from your packs from your computer. Put the power pack on the frame.
Finally connect the power pack to the frame, and it’s time test out your robot. Testing your robot for faults is important because checking for errors will prevent you from having a robot that doesn’t work. If it does not work, you must find your mistakes and fix them. If it works, you have done science by building a technological wonder.
You have used Lego Mindstorms for the first time by building, programming, and testing a robot of your very own. Now, it is time to have fun with the creation. Show your friends and family what it does and how you made it so they can get Mindstorms and build their own robot.
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