DEVELOPMENT OF GPS SENSOR FOR LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT BY PROJECT BASED LEARNING

 

Uçman ERGÜN^1*, Şükrü ÜNVER²

¹ Assoc. Prof. Dr., Department of Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Faculty,

Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyon -TURKEY

² Student, The Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyon-TURKEY

^*Corresponding author

 

Abstract

LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 brings technology and computer science to life with hands-on, project-based learning using the familiar LEGO bricks. This sets is engages students by providing the resources to design, build and program their creations while helping them develop essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Lego robot kits do not have GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors in their normal contents. In this study, A GPS sensor was developed for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot kit, which is frequently used in academic and scientific researches as much as it is in the field of education. GPS data received from EM-411 GPS receiver via USART protocol and NMEA 0183 format were taken using Arduino UNO R3, and received data were separated by Arduino software to obtain latitude and longitude data. Subsequent coordinate data were sent to the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot kit via the electronic circuit developed on the Arduino Uno prototyping shield and the i2c protocol. In the second stage of the thesis work, the coordinates of the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot kit are intended to be navigated from a position where the coordinates are known, with the coordinates being updated only to the target position entered by the user, without using IMU sensors. For this purpose, both the heading angle of the mobile robot and the heading angle that should be according to the target position have been determined from the coordinate information obtained during the movements of the mobile robot. Using the difference between the specified heading angles and the proportional control algorithm, navigation of the mobile robot has been successfully performed. The NI Labview 2016 program and the Labview Toolkit for Lego Mindstorms NXT/EV3 module are used together to program the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot kit.

Keywords: project-based learning, Lego Mindstorms NXT, GPS, Mobile robot, Navigation.

 

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by BAPK of Afyon Kocatepe University within the scope of 18.KARIYER.115 project.