Investigation

The Design Cycle: Investigation


During the investigation stage of the design cycle we decided what we were going to do. Which was to build a robot. We also learnt about the design cycle and how it can help us when we are doing projects. The design cycle is tool that is used throughout the MYP programme. It can be incorperated in all technololgy subjects such as systems, I.T. and M.T. So once we had learnt about the design cycle we started with the first step out of 4. Investigate. So we decided what we were going to do and why. We wanted to build a robot because it could help make our life easier and robots on a larger scale could make our life safer.
Robots
Throughout the investigation stage we were learning about the components and technical side of robots as well as the benificary side of robotics. We learnt that every robot has to have a procesor, power, sensors and actuators. Most of the time a robot should be autonamous (independent.) Robots can be used in many different fields. They can be used to guard countries or in the military. For example South Koreas boarders are guarded by robots because it is very dangerous. There are robots that go into the very depths of our seas while humans are watching its discoveries from a boat above the water. Robots can be used in the production of products such as cars. Human's benefit from this because companies prefer their cars to be consistant. So that all of the cars look the same. Also they can produce cars that are consistanly accurate. Robots are also cheaper than manual labour becuase they can work 24/7/365 without food, water or rest. The only thing that robots need is power.
The Rules...
Like everything robotics also has rules. Here are some of Issac Asimov's rules. He is the original writer of the a book called iRobot which was turned into the movie iRobot.

A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

There is robot named after Issac Asimov. It is called Asimo made by Honda. Here are some videos of the things that Asimo can do.





Remeber


To follow the design cycle if you are doing a similar project because we discovered that if you skip a stage you will not complete a sucessful project. We tried this last thursday. Just keep the following in mind you cant build a robot, or anything for that matter with out outlining each step that you are going to take.


So this first part of the year has given me alot of knowledge and skills that I will use through out this year and my education.