Controlling the Action

Materials Needed

• various art materials such as sheets of foam for building landscape


• remote-controlled cars or programmable robots such as a
• Lego vehicle and Lego Logo software for a computer
• ROBOTIX vehicles and programmable controller, or Valiant Roamer


• optional: video camera

What to Do

Before beginning this activity, research a planet like Mars, and then use the information to create a planetary landscape. Use remote-controlled cars or programmable robots to navigate and explore through the terrain. To simulate teleoperation of a remote robot, use a video camera. The camera can be mounted on the robot or on a tripod viewing the whole terrain. Operate your robot using the view on a television monitor. There are Internet sites which permit you to control robots in different parts of the country.

Related exhibits: Terregator, Multimedia Kiosk