What should I study in high school to allow me to work with robots?
To prepare yourself for a college degree that will allow you to work with robots, you should study as much math as possible in high school. The best place for you to end up is calculus-ready when you...
View ArticleHow do I start a robot team in my troop?
Start by speaking to your merit badge counselor. He or she should be able to give you some idea about the types of robot competitions available in your area and what it takes to start a team. You may...
View ArticleWhat do you like best about robots?
I really like the fact that we are able to use robots to improve all of our lives by having them perform tasks that are either dangerous, dreary or difficult. Having said that, the thing the kid in me...
View ArticleIf you don’t want to use a kit, how do you start making a robot? Where do you...
Taking apart an old radio control car is a great place to start. It has motors, a chassis and a battery already. All you need to do is find a processor of some kind and make sure your control signals...
View ArticleIs the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit compatible with the requirements?
Any version of the Mindstorms kits gives you what you need to build a great robot.
View ArticleDo you all think that the Arduino kits would make a good match for this badge?
Yes, the Arduino controller would be a good choice. As a counselor, though, I would encourage Scouts to use what they have. If a Scout wanted to meet the requirements with his VEX or LEGO kit, I...
View ArticleIs Electronics merit badge a prerequisite for Robotics?
This is a good question and one we discussed in our development group. Electronics is not likely to ever be a prerequisite for Robotics. There are many robotics platforms that have lots of Black Boxes...
View ArticleWhat does ‘2 degrees of freedom’ mean in requirement 4b?
Thank you for your question. The 2 degrees of freedom refers to the robot not just the attachment. This is just to make sure the robot has some complexity. 2 degrees of freedom can be forward, backward...
View ArticleShould my son join a FTC or VRC after Lego?
My son has been participating in a LEGO Club (no official competitions), but is “aging out” of the club. He really wanted to join an FTC, but all teams are closed. A VEX team is just now forming and...
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