What is robotics?
Quick answer
Robotics is the design and programming of machines that sense their environment, decide what to do and act on it, combining mechanics, electronics and code.
Students build and program robots from Grade 3 upward, progressing to autonomous behaviour and competition builds.
In context
The sense-think-act loop is the whole subject in three words, and it holds from a line-following buggy to an autonomous vehicle.
Physical feedback is the teaching advantage. Code that is wrong does not throw an error, it drives into a wall.
In a NASCA classroom
Students build and program robots from Grade 3 upward, progressing to autonomous behaviour and competition builds.
Related terms
Sensors and actuators
Sensors convert something physical, such as light or distance, into data a computer can read. Actuators do the reverse, turning a computer's decision into movement or output.
Mechatronics
Mechatronics is the engineering discipline that combines mechanical design, electronics, control systems and software into a single working machine.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is a network of everyday devices fitted with sensors and connectivity, so they can report data and be controlled remotely.