Lego mindstorms robot are a good vehicle for students to start trying out idea around behaviour-based robotics. They are inexpensive, programmable and with the LeJOS software installed on them have behaviours built into the programming which is done in Java.A good example to use comes from Bagnall's book (B Bagnall (2002) Core Lego Mindstorms:
Programming the RCX in Java , ISBN: 978-0130093646)
code 1: HitWall
//Taken from Bagnall (2002)
import josx.robotics.*;
import josx.platform.rcx.*;
public class HitWall implements Behavior
{
public boolean takeControl()
{
return Sensor.S2.readBooleanValue();
}
public void suppress()
{
Motor.A.stop();
Motor.C.stop();
}
public void action()
{
Motor.A.backward();
Motor.C.backward();
try{Thread.sleep(1000);}catch(Exception e){}
Motor.A.stop();
try{Thread.sleep(300);}catch(Exception e){}
Motor.C.stop();
}
}
Code 2: DriveForward
//Taken from Bagnall (2002)
import josx.robotics.*;
import josx.platform.rcx.*;
public class DriveForward implements Behavior
{
public boolean takeControl()
{
return true;
}
public void suppress()
{
Motor.A.stop();
Motor.C.stop();
}
public void action()
{
Motor.A.forward();
Motor.C.forward();
}
}
Code 3: Bumper Car
import josx.robotics.*;
public class BumperCar
{
public static void main(String [] args)
{
Behavior b1=new DriveForward();
Behavior b2=new HitWall();
Behavior [] bArray ={b1,b2};
Arbitrator arby=new Arbitrator(bArray);
arby.start();
}
}
