2025-2026 — Driving Base with Gripper

A new cohort, more gender-diverse, and a project that grew from simple lessons into a game designed by the scholars themselves.

The Journey

flowchart LR
    subgraph W1["Warm-Up"]
        A[Pass the Brick<br/>collaborative activity] --> B[Show previous year's<br/>car & line follower]
    end
    
    subgraph W2["Skill Building"]
        B --> C[Training Camp 1:<br/>Driving Around]
    end
    
    subgraph W3["Final Project"]
        C --> D[Driving Base<br/>+ Gripper]
        D --> E[Scholar suggests<br/>making a game]
        E --> F["Scholars design<br/>rules & setup"]
    end

1. Pass the Brick

I started the scholars with a simple collaborative activity — Pass the Brick. No complex code, just teamwork and getting comfortable with the robots. They loved it.

2. Inspiration from Last Year

Once they were comfortable, I showed them what the 2024-2025 cohort had built — the RC car and the line-following robot. They saw where this was headed and were eager to get there.

3. Training Camp 1: Driving Around

We worked through Training Camp 1 — Driving Around, a structured lesson on controlling a driving base. They picked it up fast, and I made sure to acknowledge every win — the first straight line, the first turn without crashing.

4. Driving Base + Gripper

The final project: combining a driving base with a gripper. Not just moving, but interacting — grabbing, carrying, and manipulating objects.

Programs

`DriveBase_1.py`

Xbox controller-controlled driving base with gripper, built with Pybricks.

Hardware setup:

Left motor: Port C (counterclockwise)
Right motor: Port D
Gripper motor: Port E
Drive base: 56mm wheels, 112mm axle track

Xbox controller button layout

Xbox controller button layout

Control flow:

flowchart LR
    subgraph Input["Controller"]
        Triggers["Triggers L/R<br/>forward/reverse"]
        Joysticks["Joysticks L/R<br/>steering"]
        Buttons["A | B | X | Y<br/>DPad Up/Down"]
    end
    
    subgraph Logic["Logic"]
        Turbo["trim_or_turbo()<br/>A=100% | Y=25% | else=75%"]
        Trim["transmission_manual()<br/>DPad Up/Down adjusts<br/>speed trim (0-7)"]
        Gripper["gripper()<br/>B=close | X=open<br/>experimental: stall-detection"]
    end
    
    subgraph Output["Output"]
        Drive["DriveBase.drive()<br/>speed + steering"]
        Rumble["Controller.rumble()<br/>trigger feedback"]
        Display["Hub display<br/>shows trim level"]
    end
    
    Triggers --> Trim
    Joysticks --> Drive
    Buttons --> Turbo
    Buttons --> Gripper
    Turbo --> Drive
    Trim --> Drive

Features:

Transmission: D-pad up/down adjusts speed trim (0-7), shown on hub display
Gripper modes: “sure” (position-targeted) and “experimental” (stall-detected with rumble feedback)
Rumble feedback: Triggers vibrate based on forward/reverse power
Multiple shutdown buttons: Center, View, Menu, Guide, Upload, LB, RB all shut down the hub
Trim/Turbo: Same system as previous year — A for full power, Y for 25%, default 75%

The Game

After adding the gripper, one of the scholars suggested turning it into a game. I showed them how to set up the controllers, then stepped back and let them figure out the rules and the setup themselves. They owned it from there.

Scholars testing and setting up the game Section of the game field