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Did you know?

Point Turns vs. Swing Turns

The "turnLeft" and "turnRight" commands in ROBOTC only execute "point turns", where one wheel moves forward and the other wheel moves backwards.

A swing turn is a different type of turn that will allow your robot to turn by pivoting - one wheel moves forward, the other wheel remains stationary.

Different types of turns will allow your robot to navigate around obstacles easier.

Try it! 1

Left turns and right turns allow you to navigate your robot, but so far you've only tried "point" turns. Using only the moveMotor command your robot will make a "swing turn", where only one motor moves.

Try to navigate around the mini-maze using only swing turns. What are the advantages of using swing turns over point turns? What are the disadvantages?

Try it!

Try it! 2

What happens if you increase the distance between the two wheels?

What happens if you try a different size wheel? Does your program need to change the amount it turns to complete the same amount of rotation?

Try it!

What Happens?

Increasing the wheel base (distance between the to main wheels) will cause the robot to have a wider swing turn.

The size of the wheel will affect every motion of the robot, depending on how much larger or smaller the wheel is when compared to the standard EV3 wheel. The larger the wheel, the more distance the robot will travel. The smaller the wheel, less distance is covered.

Program the robot to make an accurate 90 degree turn.

On a table, create an 90 degree right angle and have the robot start on one of the lines.

Mini Challenge PDF[ 90 Degree Right Turn.pdf ]

This challenge features a series of turns that the robot must make in order to get to the goal area.

The robot must first begin at the starting point and get to the goal area by completing turning and forward movement behaviors. The robot must not cross any lines.

Keep in mind, the turns may not all be 90 degree turns.

On a table, recreate the maze shown below and have the robot travel from the start (1) to the end (2).

Mini Challenge PDF[ Mine Maze.pdf ]