[Preface]

In my impression of the middle school campus, there was a wall that said, "Education should face modernization, the world and the future. But when children in the United States and Japan played with Lego and Transformers toys, I could only play glass balls and paper pia~ji. Think about the gap between countries. There is a gap in the initial education. Through the efforts of several generations, our next generation can finally synchronize with children in the world on toys. This Vortex programming robot was voted as one of the top ten educational robots worth buying by netizens all over the world in 2015!

[Why is it worth buying?]

The following personal experiences were summarized through trial and shared with netizens:

1. If you can't program, you can use Vortex robot as a toy to play a variety of game modes;

2. If you can program, you can use Vortex robot as entry-level hardware to spend more energy on Programming thinking Culture;

3. Is a toy tired after playing for a long time? Then change the shape of Vortex, and make a unique robot of your own will by combining Vortex's own multiple sensors and light lattice;

Playing extensively is very important for children to contact the world and accumulate knowledge, but playing professionally is king. The barrel short board theory is the core value of the era of interconnection of all things and knowledge sharing. The competition between countries does not depend on who has many weapons, but on who has more advanced weapons. This Vortex programming robot is the best learning toy for children in order not to be the cannon fodder and to be the first in the future competition.

[Appearance evaluation]

The cute shape, vivid expression and rich perception are the three highlights of this Vortex programming robot. The outline drawing is printed on the outer package of the product. When the square box is opened, Vortex lies quietly inside, waiting for the arrival of the owner!

From the perspective of product packaging and accessories, Vortex is very similar to that made by foreign companies. The exquisite small icon patch cards, gray-scale coded chassis, the instruction manual that uses Vortex as a quick introduction to toys, and the step-by-step programming case tutorial are all hard work.

The round shape is like a super large Go, which contains light, distance, Hall magnetic sensors, and at the same time, the top and bottom of the Vortex robot are equipped with full-color RGB lights. You can change the color and eye pattern through simple operations on the mobile phone client, or you can burn the program on Vortex's internal arduino development board through the iPad programming software.

Two magnets are attached to the chassis on the top cover of the Vortex robot. The top color light will light up when the upper cover is detected to be closed. In addition to magnets, there are five top colored lights and "V" pattern.

The magnet on the Vortex top cover detects the closure of the top cover through the Hall sensor.

After the top is opened, put in four 1.5V LR6 batteries to power Vortex. There are also six RGB full-color lights on the top cover changing into different colors.

There is a robot switch at the bottom. When the battery is installed and turned on, the colored lights on the robot will be lit. There are two wheels for the robot to move forward, backward, and turn.

There are two power wheels and two auxiliary balance balls for support.

The six light sensors of ABCDEF at the bottom can enable Vortex robot to track, block and other actions.

For children around 6 years old, they are full of curiosity about the unknown world. In order to further explore Vortex, they can take apart carefully to see what components are inside, which can turn mechanical toys into living people

Remove the four screws at the bottom, separate the disc, and carefully open it to connect the speaker and its flat cable to the robot motherboard.

In the initial program of Vortex robot, there are dance music, laughter, strange sounds, etc., which are displayed through the 8 ohm 2w speaker above.

Continue disassembling the bolts

What I never expected is that the motor control is semi closed loop. No wonder the two wheels respond quickly, sensitively and accurately when running

The arduino main control board is the core control part of Vortex robot.

RGB full-color eye dot matrix+distance sensor

Compared with other educational robots, all functional modules of Vortex robots are integrated together, which is very important for children who are new to programming and exploring the robot kingdom. It doesn't need to understand the principle of MCU, complicated wiring connection, and the characteristics of electronic components. Just a simple graphical drag can inject interesting ideas into Vortex, making it have a moving soul!

The complicated gear speed change set will maximize the efficiency of the small motor.

Complex integrated circuit board

Having seen the interior and satisfied the curiosity of the children, we can begin to explore the direction of more interior programming.

[Trial experience]

Δ Vortex programming robot color expression breathing light mediation mode

The mobile terminal downloads Vortex software, which supports Android/iOS mobile phones. Communicate with Vortex robot through Bluetooth.

The mobile phone client can select the eye expression pattern, and set the color of the head, V shape, eyes and feet. Vortex has five roles corresponding to different music.

Δ Vortex programming robot facial expression mediation

Extreme fast car mode:

The acceleration sensor of the mobile phone controls the rotation speed of the two motors of Vortex to achieve forward, backward, rotation and other motion modes.

Δ Vortex programming robot top speed mode

If the phone still does not communicate with Vortex after Bluetooth is turned on, the Vortex should be closer to the phone to improve the transmission rate. After the connection is successful, the Vortex will rotate, and the speaker will ring and the color light will be lit.

Δ Vortex programming robot shake dance mode

Shake mode:

Shake your mobile phone and it will change the dance track, rhythm and music melody of Vortex.

If the Vortex robot can not be flexibly controlled through the acceleration sensor control of the mobile phone, the robot soccer mode can be selected to accurately control the forward, backward and rotating direction of Vortex.

The leisure golf mode is also used together with the acceleration sensor of the mobile phone to control the Vortex to a specific position with the minimum number of strokes to win.

The bumper car mode is used for multiple Vortex fights.

Δ

[Go one step further]

Learn about the settings of sensor, RGB color control, motor rotation direction, speed and other parameters step by step through the "Return to Planet" who tutorial book. Understanding the programming and burning process of the arduino development board through several examples is very helpful for the actual robot programming in the future.

Programming can be written through the iPad, and learning code written in English seems to kill the creativity of children, so Vortex has specially developed a graphical programming mode. The same cycle and logic instructions as program code can be realized by simply dragging and dropping icons. This is a very important contribution of Vortex and arduino to the world in developing motherboards.

Δ Programming demonstration with IPAD Five programming examples in programming instructions

Programming is the most interesting and fascinating part of Vortex. On the occasion of the Spring Festival, I will experience the source code and video in the subsequent uploading of programming. Wish netizens and Lei Feng's friends a happy New Year! Everything you want to do in the New Year will be successful!