Ergopedia Physics with ErgoBot

The ErgoBot allows you to teach physics and engineering with hands-on action and interactive curriculum.

In Freewheel Mode, precision optical encoders on each wheel transmits real-time position, velocity, and acceleration data every 50 ms via Bluetooth to virtually any compatible device including Mac, PC, iPad, Android, and Chrome. In Drive Mode, two independent drive motors allow the ErgoBot to turn or follow a motion graph at speeds up to +/- 40 cm/s. With 0.5 degree precision turns, the ErgoBot can execute a sequence of student-programmed vector displacements to solve an engineering challenge – such as a maze. Activities like these teaching physics concepts such as vectors by applying them to the real engineering challenges, such as navigation with both accuracy and precision.

More than a dozen interactive e-Labs run on virtually any device including Mac, PC, Android, Chrome, and iPad. The ErgoBot requires no installed software. It comes with a rechargeable Li-ion battery and included AC adapter/charger. The included curriculum features 6 interactive equations covering motion and forces, 14 interactive simulations, 12 content lessons, 5 design challenges, 17 editable PowerPoint presentations with more than 400 slides, 17 editable lesson plans with fully differentiated learning, 17 editable student assignments/labs in both .doc and .pdf format and 17 complete answer keys (one per assignment).

Lessons include describing motion, vectors, motion graphs, acceleration on a ramp, models of accelerated motion, Newton’s second law, vector navigation, motion on an inclined plane, programming the ErgoBot, variables and nested loops, the force versus distance graph and friction and losses.

Design challenges include Robot Slalom, Miniature Golf, Road Rally, Shipping and Receiving, Two-Robot Competition, Interactive Simulations, Real-Time Motion Graphs, Encoder Signals, Ticker Tape Timing, Displacement in one dimension, Displacement in two dimensions, Velocity Matching, Position and velocity graphs (bas.), Position and velocity graphs (adv.), Graphing and modeling data, Modeling acceleration (bas.), Modeling acceleration (adv.), Stopwatch timer utility, Newton’s second law (bas.), Newton’s second law (adv.), Navigating a maze, Race course simulation, Cart on an inclined plane and Programming the ErgoBot.

The included software will run on Windows, Mac OS X, iPad, Chromebook, and Android devices, except the Physics of Sound requires either a Windows or Mac OS X computer.