forward 2move two grid units
Lesson / Robotics
Can a Robot Follow Your Instructions?
A delivery robot has been told to 'go around the chair.' That instruction works on people and fails on robots. Replace it with measured moves and turns that can be checked on a grid.
Lesson plan
Replace vague directions
Turn 'go around the chair' into commands the robot can execute.
Predict on the grid
Track position and direction through a short route.
Build the maze route
Define a command set, start state, target, and complete sequence.
Repair the first mismatch
Trace the route and change the earliest command that fails.
Hand over the instructions
Have another student follow the route and explain the revision.
Learning goals
- Break a route into commands the robot can execute.
- Order moves and turns.
- Predict the final position and direction.
- Test the route on paper or in simulation.
- Revise one faulty command.
Small examples
turn rightchange direction without changing position
pauseseparate actions so they can be observed
repeat routereuse a tested sequence
Guided project
Robot Maze Logic
Deliver a repair part through a maze using instructions precise enough for a robot that cannot guess what 'go around it' means.
A maze or grid, A known start and direction, A command vocabulary, A predicted route.
Commands, Sequences, Movement, Direction, Coordinates.
A working version with a tested change, one repaired problem, and a clear explanation.
Teacher checkpoints
- 1Each command has one clear meaning.
- 2The student predicts before running the route.
- 3Direction is recorded after every turn.
- 4The route reaches the target.
- 5One revision is justified from the failed test.
Common mistakes
- The route contains phrases the robot cannot execute.
- Direction is lost after a turn.
- Several route steps are changed after one failure.
- The plan treats the robot as a point with no width.
Optional challenges
Builder
- Add one obstacle and reroute.
Inventor
- Create reusable route segments.
Boss Level
- Write a route checker for a grid map.
End-of-class demonstration
- What is the goal?
- Which command runs first?
- Where does the robot face now?
- Which command failed?
- How did the revision change the route?