What do Legos, robots, and problem solving have in common? All play important roles in the Robotics course that Randolph-Macon College Computer Science Professor John McManus ’84 is teaching this semester.

The course introduces the fundamental concepts, principles, challenges, and research in robotics. In the Copley Science Center, students are learning how to design, build and program Lego MindStorms EV3 robots. They are also learning how to use the EV3 software package used to program the robots, and over the course of the semester they will build and program several robots—including some based on the students’ own designs.

Photos: Robotics

Solving Complex Tasks
The experiential course encourages students to develop and use problem-solving skills.

“Students spend most of their time looking at problems and figuring out a robot can be used to solve that problem,” says McManus. “They take a complex task and they break it down into small pieces, and they figure out how to program the robot to solve each of those small pieces.” With the ability to build the robots swiftly—a robot base can be built in as little as 45 minutes—students can easily adapt their robots as the course progresses.

McManus, who teaches a variety of computer science courses, says the Robotics course attracts students from all disciplines, from political science to engineering physics to history—and, of course, computer science.

“This is one of the things I love about the Randolph-Macon experience,” says McManus of the course’s wide appeal. “I have a full range of students taking the class.” The robotics basics that students are learning throughout the semester, McManus says, can be applied to numerous career fields that use sensor technology.

Hands-on Learning
Although lectures are part of the 14-week course, McManus says that the hands-on learning that students receive is key to the course’s success.

“I really like the experiential part of this—the fact that the student has a much more engaged learning experience,” he says.

Dorie Parry ’18, a mathematics and engineering physics major, says the Robotics course enhances what she is learning in her other classes.

“Building robots augments my math and engineering courses, which are almost solely theory-based,” she explains. “In my engineering physics courses, we neglect certain real-world constraints or imperfections. Testing the robots challenges me to consider different variables and obstacles that the real physical world will present.” Parry’s post-RMC plans include graduate school.

“In graduate school I hope to explore different possible fields within the wide spectrum of mechanical engineering,” she says. “I also plan on continuing Alpha Phi Omega’s core principles of leadership, friendship and service. I want to inspire other young women to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields of study.”

Christopher Ruediger ’18, a computer science major, enjoys learning about design and problem solving in the Robotics course.

“When we are given a complex task, Professor McManus’ advice is to break it down into small, simple tasks, so that the structure of the final product will be much more stable than if we were to force some complex design or algorithm,” says Ruediger. “If I take away one thing from this class it will be Professor McManus’ classic one-liner on the best type of design: ‘simple and elegant.'”

Using Legos to build robots, says Ruediger, is a unique, engaging experience.

“It brings me back to when I was a little kid and gets my creative juices flowing,” he says. “With the resources Professor McManus offers—from lectures to advice to hands-on projects—there is no limit to what we can create.”