 HOW IS ROBOLAB USED?
ROBOLAB is a visual programming
lanuage and uses icons to represent each step in the program.
The first icon in any ROBOLAB program is the start icon.
This symbolizes the beginning of a program. Similarly, the
first block in any ROBOLAB FOR THE BLIND program is the start
block. This block has a serial connection to the computer,
and lacks a button on top.
In order to add an action to a ROBOLAB program, a user chooses an icon from the tools pallete with the correct action (Motor A forward, for instance). He then finds any correct modifier icons, and attaches them to the program (speed 5, for instance). In ROBOLAB FOR THE BLIND, this can be done in a similar series of simple, intuitive steps. |
 HOW
IS ROBOLAB FOR THE BLIND USED? |
First, the user takes a block, and attaches
it to the end of their current line of blocks. If this is
their first icon, they attach it to the start block. The
function of the block is selected by the user via the remote.
Once the correct command has been selected, the next block
is added and programmed using the same steps.
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 HOW
ARE THE BLOCKS USED? |
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If the user wants to change the function of a block, he or she presses the button on the top of the block, which sends a signal to the computer. The computer will then tell the user what is currently programmed in the block, if anything, and then ask the user if they want to program that block.
Using the remote, the user can
either accept the option of programming the block, or decline.
Should |
| they accept, the remote
is then used to supplement the ROBOLAB tools pallete in programming
an action. |
 HOW IS THE REMOTE USED?
| The remote looks like a
normal keyboard number pad, consisting of 12 main buttons. These
buttons are used for determining the action of the particular
block being programmed. They are programmed using a multi-level
method, similar to how one chooses an option in an automated
telephone system. On the first level, each of the 12 buttons
represents a very broad command. For instance, "motors" or "wait." By
pressing each |
button, a user can determine
what action each key represents. The remote does not accept
any choices until the user presses "accept." This
allows for learning all possibilities before committing to
an action.
After pressing "accept",
each option changes to a sub- category of the previous choice.
For instance, if motor was chosen, the options would allow
the user to select which port will control the motor - A,
B or C. This process continues until the every property of
the action desired is chosen.
In addition to these 12 main
buttons are 4 more with constant meanings: "accept current
choice," "go up one level," "say what
the current action is so far," and "send complete
action to block."
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| HOW
IS THE DATA SENT BACK TO THE COMPUTER? |
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When all of the blocks in the program
are finished, the user simply attaches on the end block.
By pressing the button on top of the end block, all of the
data from the program is sent back to the computer, compiled,
and if desired, sent to a robot for use via ROBOLAB.
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