The Pro-Bot keypad

Functions of the various keys on the Pro-Bot keypad:

The arrow keys above the numbers:

Fd – go forward (you can specify the distance in cm, it moves 25 cm if you don’t specify measurements)

Example :

·      Fd 10 (Pro-Bot moves 10 cm forward)

·      Fd (No distance specified, so Pro-Bot moves forward 25 cm)

·       

Bk – go backward (you can specify the distance in cm, it moves 25 cm if you don’t specify measurements)

Example :

·      Bk 10 (Pro-Bot moves 10 cm backward)

·      Bk (No distance specified, so Pro-Bot moves backward 25 cm)

Rt – turn right (note that it does not move forward along with the turn)

You can specify the angle in degrees; turns 90 degrees if no angle is specified.

Example:

·      Rt 60 (Pro-Bot turns 60 degrees to the right)

·      Rt (Pro-Bot turns 90 degrees to the right)

Lt – turn left (note that it does not move forward along with the turn)

You can specify the angle in degrees; turns 90 degrees if no angle is specified.

Example:

·      Lt 60 (Pro-Bot turns 60 degrees to the left)

·      Lt (Pro-Bot turns 90 degrees to the left)

Go – starts the program

Note: If you want the stop the program while it is running, press the Go button again.

Ps – pauses the program for a short time; after the pause, the program continues on its own.

Clear – delete the last key pressed on each line.

Rpt[ – Repeat a command a specified number of times. Needs to be accompanied by the closing bracket ] after the sequence of statements. Else the repeat will run 255 times.

Example:

·      Rpt[ 4 Fd 5 ]  (Pro-Bot will repeat the Fd 5 statement 4 times. So it will move a total of 20 cm before it stops.)

] – closing bracket for a repeat command

Proc - short for “procedure”. A procedure is a small program used to perform a specific function. Pro-Bot can store up to 32 procedures in its memory.

Numbers keys 0-9 – used for specifying measurements

Menu – provides access to a number of other functions within Pro-Bot. These include a range of special commands for editing the program, configuration options, etc.

Up and Down Arrow keys near Menu button – used to scroll up or down the commands / menu options seen on the LCD screen.

Introducing Pro-Bot to kids

Pro-Bot is a floor robot from Terrapin. It can be programmed to draw figures or trace paths. Pro-Bot is controlled by a computer inside of it. 

Before we go into the details of Pro-Bot, let's quickly look at what a computer is.  A computer is a machine that can perform tasks according to the instructions given to it. It can take data, store it and do calculations with it. The instructions to a computer are typically given in the form of a "program". A computer can only do the tasks for which it has been programmed.

For most people, the word computer brings to mind the image of a laptop, or the box and the screen sitting on a desk top. But computers don’t always look like that. Computers, big or small, are present in so many more things that you are familiar with: tablets (like the iPad), cell phones, video games, music systems, cars, trains, ships, airplanes, space shuttles, TV, microwave, electronic toys… and of course robots, including your Pro-Bot.

A couple of words that you commonly hear in relation to computers is Hardware and Software.

Hardware refers to the parts of a computer that you can touch and feel. For a desktop computer or a laptop, the screen (monitor), keyboard, mouse, headphones, cables, circuit boards, etc., are all part of hardware. For your Pro-Bot, the keypad, LCD screen, digital circuits, power supplies, etc., are part of its hardware.

Software refers to the programs that tell the computer to perform its tasks. Of course it is not something that you can touch and feel like the hardware (though you can see it, read it and write it). The programs that you write for your Pro-Bot is part of its software.

Pro-Bot uses a computer language called Logo. The programs that you write for Pro-Bot will use instructions written in Logo. Pro-Bot has arrow keys, number keys and a few special keys mounted on its back that you will use for creating the programs. The instructions that you type in will be visible on Pro-Bot's LCD screen. Pro-Bot will follow the sequence of instructions in the order that they were entered, one at a time.

More product information on Pro-Bot can be found here:
http://www.bee-bot.us/probot.html