engineering

TekBots

TekBots is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TekBots rather than just read about it. In short: TekBots are programmable robots used by several universities to help students learn some of the fundamental concepts that are found in the fields of computer and electrical engineering. TekBots are centered on the Atmel microcontroller platform.

Key takeaways

TekBots belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TekBots to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TekBots from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

TekBots are programmable robots used by several universities to help students learn some of the fundamental concepts that are found in the fields of computer and electrical engineering. TekBots are centered on the Atmel microcontroller platform. This is the "brain" of the robot as it controls the robot's two motorized wheels allowing it to move. The robot's controller boards, wheels and all other peripherals are housed in an aluminum base.

History

The original TekBots program was developed by the Oregon State University College of Engineering. Professors there wanted to provide a fun and interesting way for students to get excited about engineering. In 2000, the TekBots program was able to get off the ground with a $500,000 grant from the Oregon-based company, Tektronix inc. Freshman students entering Oregon State University's engineering program start out with $80 worth of electronics to build their initial TekBot. As the students take more and more classes while in the electrical and computer engineering program, more and more functionality is added to the robots; such as bump sensors to sense when the robot has struck a wall or LCD screens to display a message or even infrared (IR) transmitters and receivers to communicate with the robot. Students program the robot using such software as AVR Studio 4 in order to write and compile a C program. The program is then transferred to the robot via a USB or parallel port dongle. The TekBots program at Oregon State University is still seed-funded by Tektronix today. TekBots is currently offered by 5 universities worldwide:

Oregon State University Iowa State University Rochester Institute of Technology University of Nebraska–Lincoln Fukuoka Institute of Technology Several community colleges and other universities have also purchased TekBots over the years.

Current classes At most of the colleges the TekBot is used in an introduction to the electrical engineering course. At Oregon State they are used as a platform for learning in 10 classes. At Nebraska they are used in three classes in combination with the Mega 128 microcontroller. Also at Rochester they are used in digital logic courses as well as the microprocessor and introduction classes. Both Nebraska and Oregon State combine the TekBot in integrating a freshman mentoring program. Many senior design projects at Oregon State are completed with the TekBot. An example was the Tekway, a Segway built using TekBots brains.

See also Vex Robotics Design System Qfix Robot kit

References

Engineering Department at Oregon State University. More Than Machines TekBots Article <- This link is no longer valid TekBots: Creating Excitement For Engineering Through Community, Innovation and Troubleshooting

External links Official TekBots website Tektronix Website TekBots Mega128 User Guide TekBots AVR Studio 4 and Atmega128 Beginner's Guide Senior Design Senior Project Tekway

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TekBots

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TekBots claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TekBots before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TekBots ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TekBots

In research: TekBots appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TekBots in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TekBots is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Educational robots, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TekBots outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TekBots in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TekBots means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TekBots out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TekBots in simple terms?

Why does TekBots matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TekBots?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TekBots.