Goal
The result the system is meant to reach or maintain.
Topic Guide
Autonomy
An autonomous system selects actions from its inputs, rules, current state, and goal.
Why this matters
This later topic brings together sensing, conditions, loops, state, feedback, and testing. Students examine exactly which decisions the machine makes and which remain with its designer or user.
Beyond this topic
A robot vacuum chooses movements from sensor readings, but people still set its goal, rules, working area, and stop controls. Its autonomy is real and quite narrow.
Math and logic
Policy
Rules that connect observations with actions.
State
Information kept from one decision to the next.
Human boundary
The choices and limits set by a person.
Small examples
Patrol rule
Choose a turn after an obstacle reading.
Game opponent
Select an action from the player's distance and current game state.
Recovery behaviour
Return to a safe mode after an error.
Stop condition
End the action when a boundary or goal is reached.
Program connections
Where this topic appears.
Active now
Robotics
Students write commands, wire simple circuits, read sensors, and trace physical cause and effect through the Sense–Decide–Act loop.
Coming later
AI & Smart Machines
A possible later program for testing patterns, predictions, prompts, mistakes, and the limits of AI tools.
Common mistakes
Mistaking a sequence for autonomy
A fixed route never changes when new information arrives.
No stop rule
The system continues after its goal or safe boundary has been reached.
Claiming understanding
A successful rule is described as if the machine knows why it works.
One perfect test
The system fails as soon as an obstacle moves or a reading changes.
Put the idea to work
Robotics
Computer Lab Project
Robot Patrol Challenge
Design a repeating patrol that notices an obstacle, tries a response, and checks whether the response worked.
See how it works
AI & Smart Machines
Coming later
AI Guessing Game
A possible investigation of pattern-based guesses, confidence, errors, and fair testing.
See the later idea