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Design Decisions

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The shell was designed to to have an appealing look
and to be strong enough to survive a fall.

The Finch is easy to hold in 2 hands and use your thumbs to cover the light sensors to use them as buttons.

It can balance on its tail or you can tape a pen to it.

The cord wraps neatly around the narrow part.

  
       
         
    infrared Obstacle Detection. The Finch has two Infrared sensors. These sensors can detect obstacles in front of the Finch.  The sensors are digital and so act as virtual bumpers - they do not provide information on the distance to an obstacle, but simply register whether an obstacle exists.  The sensor detection range is between 3 and 12 inches.  Due to the limitations of this type of sensor very narrow objects or objects made of certain black plastics may not register as obstacles.  
      LED  
 

The Accelerometer

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The hardware:

The accelerometer can detect the direction of gravity, to know if the Finch is flat or tilted. It can also detect tapping or shaking the Finch.

The software:

Inside a loop the program can continuously monitor the Finch's position using if statements.

Sensing Light & Temperature

photoresistors  

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Light is registered ---The thermistor is accurate
from 0-255 -----within 2 degrees Farenheit

courtesy of blabberize.com

_______Explore more_______
details about the Finch hardware

  
         
 

How well do you know the features of the robot?

Fill in the blanks Choose your answers
  True False  

1. The thermistor can detect within 2 degrees of accuracy

 5. The accelerometer detects shaking and tapping

2. The word means that a device is sturdy enough to survive rough handling or falls.

 True False  
6. The Finch uses a GPS to sense where it is

3. The can display many different shades of color

 True False  
7. The Finch can sense things 3-12 inches away
4. The detects if the robot is tilted or right side up. True False  
8. The light sensors could be used as buttons

Click Submit and then , if you need a record of your results, hold down Alt and press Prnt Scrn to get a screenshot.

Compare and contrast the abilities of the Finch to another robot: the Geocaching robot from Canada.
Watch the video and test your knowledge