Putting It All Together

Previously in this Unit, you learned how to:

• Identify the importance of pallets in transportation logistics.
• Code the 6-Axis Arm to pick up and place multiple Cubes on a pallet relative to a fixed position.
• Use variables to store the number of Cubes moved in a VEXcode project.

You began this Unit with an introduction on how robot arms interact with pallets, and the importance of pallets in efficiently transporting products. You then learned how to code the 6-Axis Arm to pick up and place a Cube on a pallet using the Magnet. After that, you learned how to use relative movements along with variables to code the 6-Axis Arm to pick and place multiple Cubes in locations on pallets relative to a fixed position. Now you are going to combine all that you have learned to create a project to pick up and place eight Cubes on two pallets.

Putting it All Together Activity

In this Activity, you will code the 6-Axis Arm to move eight Cubes to the pallets. Watch this animation to see one way the 6-Axis Arm could move in order to complete the activity.

Setup: Place one Cube at the loading zone. The loading zone is located at Tile location 17.

Activity: Create a VEXcode project for the 6-Axis Arm to use the Magnet to move eight Cubes from the loading zone to the two pallets.

1. Plan your project with your group in your engineering notebook. Make a list of each behavior the 6-Axis Arm must complete to move all eight Cubes to the two pallets.
   • As you plan your project, remember that relative movements are based on one set starting location. You may be able to reuse some of your code from your Lesson 3 project.
2. Build your project in VEXcode EXP. 
   • For this activity, you can modify a project from this Unit, or start with a New Blocks Project. If you choose to edit an existing project, remember to rename and save the project before you begin editing.
3. Run your project to test it.
   • After each Cube is picked up, place an additional Cube at the loading zone. Do this while the project is running as shown in the animation above.
   • After the project has been completed, reflect on what happened. Did the 6-Axis Arm successfully move all eight Cubes to the pallets? If not, modify your project and try again.
4. After you have completed the activity, name and save your project to your device.
5. Document your process in your engineering notebook. Be sure to record each change you make to your project.

Wrap Up Reflection

Now that you have coded the 6-Axis Arm to pick and place eight Cubes on the pallets, it is time to reflect on what you have learned and done in this Unit. 

Rate yourself as a novice, apprentice, or expert on each of the following concepts in your engineering notebook. Provide a brief explanation for why you gave yourself that rating for each concept:

• Identifying the importance of pallets in transportation logistics.
• Coding the 6-Axis Arm using the Magnet to pick up and place a Cube on a pallet.
• Coding the 6-Axis Arm using the Magnet to pick up and place multiple Cubes on two pallets, relative to a starting location.

Use this table to help you determine which category you fall under.

Then, reflect on the learning targets you co-created with your teacher for this Unit. Have you learned what you set out to learn? Why or why not? What were you most successful with? Why? How do you think you can build on your progress moving forward?

Each person in your group should complete their self-reflections in their engineering notebooks. Once everyone in your group has completed their self-reflections, check-in with your teacher and let them know you are ready for your debrief conversation.

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