4Tronix Bit:Bot Neuron Controlled Edge follower

In the last post I was playing with 4Tronix's Bit:Bot. In this post I will show the initial experimentation with an artificial neuron controlling the Bit:Bot to follow the edge of a line (it follows the left-hand side of the line).

The neurons (well two separate ones, S1 and S2) are produced using weighted sums - summing the weights x inputs [ right-hand sensor (rs) and left-hand sensor (ls)] plus a bias for each neuron in this case w[0] and w[3].

    




              


    net=w[0]+w[1]*rs+w[2]*ls      

    net2=w[3]+w[4]*rs+w[5]*ls

  If weighted sum >=0 then its output 1 otherwise 0

    if net>=0: 

        s1=1

    else:

        s1=0

    if net2>=0:

        s2=1

    else:

        s2=0

What actual causes S1 to be either 1 or 0 is all defined by a set of weights w (three for the first neurone, S1,  three for S2).

w=[0,-1,1,-1,1,-1]

Converting the outputs of the two neurones S1 and S2 into actions is shown below.

    if s1==1 and s2==1:

        forward(40)   

    elif s1==0 and s2==1:

        forward(30)

        right_turn(10)

    elif s1==1 and s2==0:

        forward(30)

        left_turn(10)       

    elif s1==0 and s2==0:

        backward(40)

The functions for forward, right_turn, etc are defined elsewhere.

At the moment the movement is a bit rough and it is a little simpler to build a version that follows the centre of the line; this approach though, works with thinner lines. 

To change the function of the system, change the values in w; for example to produce one that follows the centre of the line just change w (I will leave that to someone to work on). The complete code is shown below.

Code

from microbit import *

import neopixel, random, array

w=[]  

def forward(n):

    pin0.write_analog(551)

    pin8.write_digital(0) 

    pin1.write_analog(551)

    pin12.write_digital(0)

    sleep(n)

    

def backward(n):

    pin0.write_analog(551)

    pin8.write_digital(1) 

    pin1.write_analog(551)

    pin12.write_digital(1)

    sleep(n)

    

def right_turn(n):

    pin0.write_analog(511)

    pin8.write_digital(0) 

    pin1.write_analog(511)

    pin12.write_digital(1)

    sleep(n)

    

def left_turn(n):

    pin0.write_analog(551)

    pin8.write_digital(1) 

    pin1.write_analog(551)

    pin12.write_digital(0)

    sleep(n)

       

w=[0,-1,1,-1,1,-1]

while True:

    ls= pin11.read_digital()

    rs= pin5.read_digital()

    

    net=w[0]+w[1]*rs+w[2]*ls

    net2=w[3]+w[4]*rs+w[5]*ls

    if net>=0:

        s1=1

    else:

        s1=0

    if net2>=0:

        s2=1

    else:

        s2=0

   

    if s1==1 and s2==1:

        forward(40)   

    elif s1==0 and s2==1:

        forward(30)

        right_turn(10)

    elif s1==1 and s2==0:

        forward(30)

        left_turn(10)       

    elif s1==0 and s2==0:

        backward(40)

       

           

    

All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

4Tronix Bit:Bot - now there is a good idea.

When I first heard of this robot, my first thought was what a great idea; a robot with neopixels (I know I should be saying 'smart RGB LEDs' but neopixels is so much more snappier) controlled via a micro:bit.

A good starting point for learning more about this robot, is the details on the 4Tronix site/blog, which includes build guidance and programming instructions for micropython and PXT. Though for the micropython code you might need to change pinX.digital_write() to pinX.write_digital() where X is the pin number.

My play code was to randomly select which neopixels to light up, I didn't include code to turn them off so multiple ones can be on. The robot is driven forwards, waits, backward, waits, turns to the right and then the left; and then repeats. 

Code:
from microbit import *
import neopixel, random

np = neopixel.NeoPixel(pin13, 12)

def forward(n):
    pin0.write_digital(1)
    pin8.write_digital(0) 
    pin1.write_digital(1)
    pin12.write_digital(0)
    sleep(n*1000)
    
def halt(n):
    pin0.write_digital(0)
    pin8.write_digital(0)
    pin1.write_digital(0)
    pin12.write_digital(0)
    sleep(n*1000)
    
def backward(n):
    pin0.write_digital(0)
    pin8.write_digital(1) 
    pin1.write_digital(0)
    pin12.write_digital(1)
    sleep(n*1000)

def right_turn(n):
    pin0.write_digital(1)
    pin8.write_digital(0) 
    pin1.write_digital(0)
    pin12.write_digital(1)
    sleep(n*1000)

def left_turn(n):
    pin0.write_digital(0)
    pin8.write_digital(1) 
    pin1.write_digital(1)
    pin12.write_digital(0)
    sleep(n*1000)

while True:
    pxl=random.randint(1,11)
    rd=random.randint(1,32)
    gr=random.randint(1,32)
    bl=random.randint(1,32)
    t1=random.randint(10,100)
    np[pxl] = (rd, gr, bl)
    np.show()
    forward(1)
    halt(1)
    backward(1)
    halt(1)
    right_turn(1)

    left_turn(1)

The video below shows it in action, the code is simple but this is a lovely robot to program especially if the mu editor is used.




All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

Hackaball is fun

The long awaited Hackaball has been released to those who backed as a kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hackaball/hackaball-a-programmable-ball-for-active-and-creat , designed as a tough, easily programmable device for children that can be thrown around and (within reason) treated roughly. Further protected by an outer shell.

The microcontroller is surrounded by a tough what appears to be a silicone (or similar) ring and encased in a two rubbery halves of a ball. In included within are sensors (accelerometer and gyro), vibration motor,  LEDs, rechargeable battery, and a speaker (that can be programmed to make some interesting sounds, that go down well with children and adults). The two halves of the ball are translucent and diffuse the LEDs effectively.


The computer you can throw, was the campaign's strapline and that is not an idle boast, I have let a six-year throw it around a large room with hard floors and even harder walls, treat like a ball and I have thrown it high it the air at night and not tried catch it to make a second 'moon' (temporarily) and it survives. Getting going with it initially, is basically, switch it on, close the two half of the balls, pull the outer shell over the ball and start throwing it.

The App is free to download and comes with a number of games to download or you can write your own using their graphical language. Though it seems initially simple, it is suited to someone beginning to program - which is its target audience. An example of the code is shown below.

I like this package both as 'just' a toy, it is great fun throwing it within a group and watching it change colour and make interesting noises, from instructions such as "sound like fart" (see the image above). As a relatively simple programmed toy it is good. It in the end though comes down to their strapline "computer you can throw", that is its beauty. When you realise you can program something and throw it, drop it; you are moving from seeing computers as fragile things but to as a physical, enjoyable item - you are throwing it around and not thinking of as a computer.


All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

Scratch for Neurones

1. Single Neurone


Instructions:

• Set the inputs by pressing the buttons marked input 1 and input 2 (Red is off(False or 0) and Green is on(True or 1))
• Change the weights by changing weights 1 to 3, wx goes with input x and weight 3 is the bias.
• To activate the neuron you need to click on the the yellow ball ('the neuron').

The video below show it in action and explains the code.



To see the code go to https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/131892234/ .

A slight modification click on the bell to change the weights

The code is available at https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/171190294/

2. Training a Neurone
In this part, the training of a neuron all written in Scratch is tackled. The video shows it action and you can have a go at using the software yourself at the end of the post. The Scratch code can be found at https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/132915502/






All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

kamibot

Kamibot was a recent kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kamibot/kamibot-teach-your-kids-to-code) from the interesting named, Korean company, 3.14 Co., Ltd as a robot you can dress up in paper outfits.

It is actually quite a nice little kit that can be controlled via Android, IOS or PC (available at http://www.kamibot.com/default.php along with some of the plans for paper outfits). The software is a simple Scratch/Blockly style interface and programming is simple. Connecting the robot to the, in my case, an iPad was relatively easy. I would welcome a Mac version of the KamiBlock software but apart from that nice robot kit, that allows you to get programming quickly if you have used Scratch, Blockly or Crumble. 

They have recently twitted about new piece of software for Android device - using cards on the screen in combination with their paper mapboard.

Kamicard, now available for download to Android users! Who says you need to know how to read to program? https://t.co/SrVZvhMcMF pic.twitter.com/bDv9DeqN4U

— KamiBot (@kamibot314) November 17, 2016

All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

Be an Unplugged Computing Artist

A recently released book Teaching Computing Unplugged in Primary Schools  edited by Helen Caldwell (University of Northampton) and Neil Smith (Open University) has a number of interesting chapters by authors who are passionate about how computing is taught in schools. The central theme is unplugged activities, without using computers, but still teach the fundamental of computational thinking.

Ok, confession time. I co-wrote, along with Katharine Childs (Code Club), Chapter 3 Artists so I am biased here, but I believe in the central theme of Unplugged Computing. Computing, and Computational Thinking in general,  is not just about programming and using a computer (though using computers and  programming are vitally important to Computing) but it is also about many other things including problem-solving, being creative and working collaboratively.

Chapter 3 is about linking these computational thinking ideas to produce visual art, by applying computing principles including  repetition, following and refining algorithms, and abstraction. The chapter also looks, how these links have already being made, with examples such Sol Le Witt where not all the work that was produced by the artist himself, but some by others following his written instructions - in other words an algorithm. An example activity is shown below (named after my son who was the first to play it).

Thomas’ Tangles

Exploring abstract patterns using randomness within an algorithm.

Using crayons, pencils or pens, we are going to follow an algorithm to create a random drawing. This could be done in pairs and you will need squared paper.

Person A: Rolls the dice and reads out the instructions.

Person B: Is the ‘robot' carrying out the instructions.

When the starting or central square is blocked and a new central square is needed the roles of A and B swap (so A is the ‘robot’ and B rolls the dice and reads out the instruction). The roles keep swapping.

Algorithm

Start from a random square – call it the centre square

Repeat until end of game

If die roll = 1

Roll die for number of moves

Check for blocks

If not blocked then

move die roll number of steps up the page

If die roll = 2

Roll die for number of moves

Check for blocks

If not blocked then

move die roll number of steps down the page

If die roll = 3

Roll die for number of moves

Check for blocks

If not blocked then

move die roll number of steps to the left

If die roll = 4

Roll die for number of moves

Check for blocks

If not blocked then

move die roll number of steps to the right

If die roll = 5

Roll die

If die = 1 change colour to Red

If die = 2 change colour to Blue

If die = 3 change colour to Black

If die = 4 change colour to Red

If die = 5 change colour to Orange

If die = 6 change colour to Yellow

If die roll = 6

Return to current centre square

Check for blocks:

If pathway blocked do not move then

reroll die

If number of spaces in the direction > die roll then

move until blocked

If all pathways blocked then

choose a new centre square

The other chapters make links with areas such as Robots, Musicians, Explorers, Magicians, Gamers, Cooks and Scientists.


References

Barr, D., Harrion, J., and Conery, L. (2011) Computational Thinking: A Digital Age Skill for Everyone Leading and Learning with Technology, ISTE, March/April 2011 [accessed via http://www.csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/CurrFiles/LLCTArticle.pdf on 26/12/2015]

Barr, V. and Stephenson, C. (2011) Bringing Computational Thinking to K-12, ACM Inroads, Vol 2. No 1, pp 48 - 54 [accessed via http://csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/CurrFiles/BarrStephensonInroadsArticle.pdf on 26/12/2015] https://doi.org/10.1145/1929887.1929905

Computing at School (2013) Computing in the National Curriculum: A guide for primary teachers [accessed via http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/CASPrimaryComputing.pdf on 13/3/2016]

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DfE: Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: computing programmes of study

Freedman, J. (2015) Cycloid Drawing Machine [online] URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1765367532/cycloid-drawing-machine accessed on 3/3/2016.

Google. 2016 Project Jacquard [online] URL: https://www.google.com/atap/project-jacquard/ accesed on:1/3/2016.

Knuth, D. 1968. Preface, The Art of Programming vol 1., Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Knuth, D. 1996. Foreword. In: Petkovsek, M., Wilf, H., Zeilberger, D. A=B.. Natick: A K Peters/CRC Press, vii.

Koetsier, T., 2001. On the prehistory of programmable machines: Musical automata, looms, calculators. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 36(5), 589-603. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0094-114X(01)00005-2

Menegus, B (2016) CDMS: Built with Processing [online] URL: http://wheelof.com/sketch/ accessed on 4/3/2016

MoMA. 2012. MoMA| Video Games [online] URL: http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2012/11/29/video-games-14-in-the-collection-for-starters/ accessed on: 1/3/2016.

Papert, S (1993) The children's machine: Rethinking schools in the age of the computer. New York: Basic books

Pearson M (2011) Generative Art: A practical guide using Processing, New York: Manning, 3-12

Selby, C. and Woollard, J. (2013) Computational thinking: the developing definition University of Southampton [accessed via http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/356481/7/Selby_Woollard_bg_soton_eprints.pdf on 26/12/2015]

The Art Story (2016) Sol LeWitt [online] http://www.theartstory.org/artist-lewitt-sol.htm accessed on: 6/3/2016

Wing, J. (2006) Computational Thinking Communications of the ACM Vol 49 pp 33 - 35 [accessed via https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~15110-s13/Wing06-ct.pdf on 26/12/2015] https://doi.org/10.1145/1118178.1118215

Wing, J. (2011) Computational Thinking - What and Why The Link - News from the School of Computer Science, Issue 6.0, Spring 2011 [accessed via http://www.cs.cmu.edu/sites/default/files/11-399_The_Link_Newsletter-3.pdf on 26/12/2015]

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All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruonAll opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon