Engineering that moves, senses, and thinks.

Build it. Sense it. Program it. Automate it. Improve it.

In Automation & Robotics, students design, build, and program robotic systems using VEX V5. It's not a "build a robot and drive it around" class. Students take on real engineering problems that combine mechanical design, electronics, and programming, and they learn that when a system fails, the problem could be in any of the three. The course is built on Project Lead The Way's Gateway curriculum, expanded with original projects and real-world challenges.

What students learn

Mechanisms: gears, gear ratios, the trade-off between speed and torque, and mechanisms that change motion, like rack and pinion, cam and follower, worm and wheel, and chain drives.

Sensors: limit and bumper switches, light sensors, potentiometers, ultrasonic range finders, and encoders. Students learn not just what each sensor does, but which one a real problem calls for and where it should go.

Programming: controlling motors, reading sensors, and using conditions and loops to build systems that respond on their own.

Design and documentation: sketching, modeling in Onshape, calculations, testing, and an engineering notebook that shows how and why each design changed.

What students build

Projects change from year to year. Past projects have included:

Wind turbine. Students design a turbine with a bevel gear and at least one additional mechanism, and the output has to spin at least twice as fast as the input. They sketch, model it in Onshape, calculate their gear ratios, build and test it, then write a one-page sales pitch for their design.

Mini golf challenge. Students engineer a 2 ft × 2 ft mini golf hole with at least two working mechanisms, a motor, and a start/stop button. Every mechanism has to be part of the play experience, not just decoration.

Sensor challenges. These include automatic race timing, a goal detector that knows when a ball crosses the line, and more. Students choose the right sensor, place it, and program the response.

Automated vehicles. Teams take on engineering roles (team lead, mechanical, electrical, and programming) to design vehicles that move materials through a warehouse-style system.

Student showcase

[Photos and videos of student builds]

Current students
[Links to activity guides, slides, and assignments]

Need an extra copy of Mr. Register's engineering notebook? [Engineering Notebook link]