Team3: Greek students
Kareas Junior High School, Athens
In this phase we are going to make a prototype:
What is a prototype?
- An initial, basic version of innovation.
Why is a prototype important?
It allows you quickly and easily:
- Show how your innovation would work.
- Test and trial it
- Get feedback
- Decide what works and what doesn't
- saves time (and money in real life!)
How you will present your prototype:
You can choose how to present it. Must include:
- A virtual representation of the design
- Explanation about why it will help address the problem and the intended user.
- Instructions of how it will work.
- A detailed, accurate algorithm for at least one feature.
- A working micro:bit program for the same feature.
Smart house devices and smart city lights.
The micro:bit’s light and tilt sensors were programmed to create smart city lights and other related devices. An interdisciplinary lesson scenario was created for learning and understanding various programming concepts, such as a) input, output b) repetition, c) selection, d) variables, e) procedures & functions, f) logical operators through the creation of applications for Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). This scenario was taught to the A, B and C high school classes.
The students studied the problems of their city and their neighbourhood, Kareas. Among other things, the students researched and examined the main problems connected with the operation of street lights, which are either controlled manually or turned on at a given time. The city currently has traditional street lights which use a lot of electricity, and sodium lamps which are expensive to replace. Most modern city lights have a light sensor that turns the light on when a light threshold is reached e.g. 150. Even these are inefficient, as the lights remain on continuously throughout the night with the same brightness.
So it was thought that the city needed new street lights that would use sensors to detect light levels and react to different light levels with different intensities.
Students’ findings and thoughts were presented in plenary, in the classroom and published on the twinspace for our partners to see and discuss.
The purpose of the learning scenario and its related activities was to raise students' awareness of sustainability, to cultivate problem-solving skills, computational thinking, and social skills, as well as to deepen their understanding of basic programming concepts and learn new ones.
Objectives
1. Deepening the students’ understanding of programming concepts: input, output, iteration, selection structure, variables, event-oriented programming.
2. Learning procedures-functions,logical operators and Boolean algebra.
3. Raising students' awareness of sustainability and in particular of target 11: sustainable cities and communities.
4. Developing problem-solving skills, collaboration skills, communication and critical thinking skills, creativity and decision making and cultivating computational thinking.
5. Students learn how to meet deadlines, how to deal with failure and how to self-reflect on their work.
Activity 1
Smart lights for saving energy.
The micro:bit was programmed to turn on its LEDs, depending on the ambient light, as well as to make its screen brighter or darker depending on the amount of light thatfalls on it. This technique can be used for smart city lights, night room lights, outdoor lights,bicycle saddle lights, and wearable devices especially for children with mobility, hearing and vision problems, as well as for animal safety. Goal 7: cheap and clean energy. Goal 11: sustainable cities and communities, Goal 11.1 sustainable and affordable housing, Goal 11.2 improved road safety, paying particular attention to the needs of those at risk, such as women, children, people with disabilities, the elderly and migrants, Goal 11.3 Inclusive and sustainable urbanization, Goal 11.6 Reduce the environmental impact of cities,Goal 11.9 Implement policies for inclusion, resource efficiency and disaster risk reduction,Goal 11.A Support least developed countries in sustainable and resilient building, Goal 12: responsible consumption and production.It can also be used to protect sea creatures.
Students learn and explore the problem of by-fishing, its impact and possible solutions and augment the above model with sound so that it can be used in fishing nets to reduce the problem of by-fishing.
Students study the problem of sea turtles and create an original beach light using micro:bit LEDs so that newborn turtles can safely find their way to the sea.Goal 14: life under water. 14.2: sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Activity 2: Selection structure
The previous program was modified to use the selection structure to control whether light falling on the micro:bit falls below a certain light level e.g. 100, which means that it is dark and turns on the LEDs on its screen, otherwise it turns off the LEDs on its screen.
Activity 3: Smart light device activated and deactivated by pressing buttons A & B. Procedures.
The algorithm and the code of the previous activity was modified so that the device can be activated by pressing button A and deactivated by pressing button B. This resulted in a more complex code and so procedures were introduced to simplify it.
Activity 4: sound and radio micro:bit capabilitis.
A safety and anti-theft device.
Audio and radio were added to make a safety and anti-theft device.A safety device was made so that people feel safer when walking at night. The safety device will immediately adjust the light to maximum and make a sound. A radio signal is sent to the authorities or relatives.This prototype could also be used if someone opens our bag or turns on the lights in our house while we are away, the micro:bit we have on us, notifies us.
Activity 5: Boolean Algebra and Logic.
Sound activated lights
The micro:bit was programmed so that when we clap, or click our fingers, or speak very loudly, its LEDs flash. This device can be used as a room light especially for people with mobility problems and as a lamp next to the bed to free our hands. Objective 11.1: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing. Through this activity Boolean logic operators and algebra were taught.
Its built in microphone can detect loud sounds like claps. You can clap or click your finger to switch the LED lights on and off. A Boolean variable lighton was used which toggles its state: if it is true that lights are on, it becomes false by making a loud sound. If it is false that the lights are on, it becomes true by making a loud sound. It could be used in a room especially for people with mobility issues. It can work as a bedside lamp to free up your hands. It can be switched on and off by a simple voice command. No worries about not finding the light switch when you walk in a dark room.
Look at Amazon Alexa for similar devices.
Through this activity, Boolean logic operators and algebra were taught. After a presentation on Boolean logical operators and algebra, the students were given the commands in the following picture via microbit classroom, to assembe the programm for the sound activated lights.
https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/v2-clap-lights
https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/clap-lights/
Activity 6: Tilt sensor and a radio controlled tilt alarm.
Tilt sensor radio controlled alarm to protect the elderly or the sick at home and your valuables.
A prototype device with the micro:bit was made which could be used for the elderly or the sick when they are alone in the house. For example, if they fall, the micro:bit will send a warning message about it. It could also be used as a wireless alarm to warn you when someone opens a door or moves your bag. You can keep your valuables safe with this radio-controlled burglar alarm.
One micro:bit can be put on the person or the object we want to protect and a second one is kept near us.
Target: 11.1 safe and affordable housing, Target 11.3: inclusive and sustainable urbanization.
When the micro:bit is shaken, the accelerometer detects movement and it shows a message on the LED display and plays an alarm sound. It also sends a 'help' or a 'thief'!' radio message, so that another micro:bit can warn you if someone needs help or moving your valuables or opening the door of your house when you are away.
Morevover, it could be used as:
a pedometer ans distance meter when we walk.
a device to protect trees from illegal logging as it can send the coordinates of the tree being cut down.
an anti-poaching device with an anti-poaching collar. It detects if an animal has been immobile for a period of time, suggesting that it may have been cought in a poaching trap.
https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/tilt-alarm/
Activity 7
Radio controlled tilt and light alarm.
The light alarm with the tilt alarm were combined to sense when something is being moved OR if the lights are turned on.
This prototype senses when something is being moved OR if the lights go on. Therefore, you know if an intruder is in your house or if somebody moved OR opened one of your valuables like your bag.
Activity 8
Pressure switch alarm
A wireless intruder alarm was created that warns you when someone steps on a home-made pressure sensor.
A pressure input switch was created out of cardboard and tin foil as shown in the picture. It can be folded over and placed under a rug or carpet. Some foam might be needed to keep each side apart. The two foil pads are connected on one side to pins 0 and GND on the sensor micro:bit. When you step on it, the foil on the top completes an electrical circuit and it sends an ‘intruder’ radio message. Multiple sensors can be added each sending its own message, e.g. ‘room1’, ‘room2’ and have the alarm show where the intruder is.
https://youtu.be/K0No6xePtxY
A final video with all the activities above:
Based on scenarios published by BBC micro:bit.
Published by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation microbit.org Licence: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
We made the devices above following the:
Learning scenario for smart devices and smart houses.
Learning scenario for smart devices and smart houses.pdf
Night safety for children
Night_Safety_For_Children.pdf