Remote Sensing And Tele Robotics For Elementary And Middle School Via The Internet

Abstract

The Science, Engineering, NASA Site Of Remote Sensing (SENSORS) project aims to help bring remote sensing and tele-robotics to upper elementary and middle school audiences. By creating a network of simulated environments, ranging from the Moon to Mars to Antarctica to a working city-scape, SENSORS gives student opportunities to explore and automate remote environments via the web. The main SENSORS site (www.ceeo.tufts.edu/sensors) serves as portal to access each of the seven different environments (3 are currently operational, 4 more will be operational by mid -late 2003). The sites each feature curriculum related to their environment that can be done in a classroom without a computer. Curriculum ideas encompass a broad range of activities from keeping a journal on your observations about an environment to designing an instrument to investigate the attributes of the environment. As a culminating project, each environment has different challenges that need to be solved in a physical miniature replica of their environment. Via the web, users remotely control LEGO RCX based rovers in these environments by submitting programs that instruct the creation to complete a maneuver or collect data. For example, a mission on the Moon site is to drive the lunar rover between two points on the surface. Users submit various trial programs (via a Flash interface) to the site to get data about how far the rover travels at different amounts of time before submitting their final mission to accomplish the challenge. This paper will detail this unique collection of sites as well as discuss the opportunities and learning available to students in this new environment. In addition the design, implementation, and programming present in creating a robust interface for remote exploration powered by Robolab, LabVIEW, Macromedia Flash, and ASP will be addressed.