V5 Workcell Educators Start Here

The first three Workcell STEM Labs introduce students to industrial robotics, safety, and how the arm of the Workcell operates in 3D space.

Lab 1

Students begin by building the Workcell using step-by-step build instructions so all students can be successful even without any prior building or engineering experience. While building the Workcell, students will learn how to master it, and why this is vital for the Workcell’s functionality.

Lab 2

Students progress into learning about the importance of safety—both in the classroom and industry—and simulate an Emergency Stop using a Bumper Switch.

Lab 3

Once students have built the Workcell and have a basic understanding of safety, they then move into learning how the arm of the Workcell operates in 3D space. Students begin by manually moving the arm while displaying the current x, y, and z-coordinate values in real time on the V5 Brain’s screen. Once students understand how the Workcell arm operates in 3D space, they have the foundational knowledge to begin to autonomously code the arm to move to a discrete (x, y, z) location.

STEM Labs 4-6 focus on coding for autonomous movements, specifically to explore autonomous movements along the x, y, and z-axes.

Lab 4

Students explore the difference between linear and joint movements along the x and y-axes, and how each has their own benefits.

Lab 5

Students combine their newly-formed coding skills with mathematics by introducing variables to store an initial (x, y, z) coordinate. They then add increments to the initial stored coordinate value to move a marker along the x and y-axes.

Lab 6

Students continue drawing using the marker along the x and y-axes, but must also pick the marker up between shapes or letters using the z-axis. This progression of skills prepares students to navigate the arm along all three axes (x, y, z) to pick up and place disks in later Labs.

Every user will also have access to their own dashboard, which includes a tour of all the VEX PD+ features, allowing them to get started easily. We are continuously updating PD+ with new materials, ensuring our platform remains a rich, dynamic resource for our educators.

We are here to support you on your professional journey. If you have any questions, or feedback, you can use the feedback tool in VEX PD+. We're excited for you to explore, learn, and connect.

STEM Labs 7-9 focus on the introduction to the Electromagnet and the picking, placing, and transportation of colored disks.

Lab 7

Students are introduced to the Electromagnet by interacting with a User Interface (UI) on the V5 Brain’s screen that acts as colored buttons. The student identifies the color of the disk at the top of the pick up location and selects the corresponding button on the screen. This triggers the arm to pick up the disk and drop it off in a drop off location specific to that color. This allows students to recognize how sensors can further automate this process in later Labs. Earlier learning about the z-axis and the differences between linear and joint movements is applied at a basic level.

Lab 8

Students add an Optical Sensor to automate the process of identifying disk colors. Students must consider how the z-axis will change for the pick up location each time a new disk is picked up, since there will be more than one disk loaded to begin with. Lab 8 makes deep connections to many earlier concepts, including linear and joint movement; exploration of the x, y, and z-axes; and the advantage of sensors for automation.

Lab 9

Students are introduced to conveyors by adding time-based conveyors to their Workcell build. Using time-based conveyors helps students understand how fast they spin and in which direction, and can prompt them to consider the advantage of using sensors to automatically start and stop conveyors.

STEM Labs 10-12 focus on the optimization of transporting and sorting disks.

Lab 10

Students further automate how disks travel along the conveyors by adding an Optical Sensor and Line Trackers. Prior to this Lab, the student would place whatever color disk they decided on the conveyor to be transported based on time increments. The Optical Sensor triggers certain behaviors based on the color detected, automating color detection. Line Trackers are added to start and stop certain conveyors when triggered, and to engage the diverter. Students see that using sensors instead of time-based conveyors ensures that the disks will stop in the same location each time, regardless of slippage or any environmental factors that could have affected it.

Lab 11

Instead of one disk being fed into the system at a time by the student, a disk feeder is added to automate the process, allowing for multiple disks to be dispensed at once. If there is more than one Workcell in the classroom, students have the option to experience cooperative systems. For example, students could create a program where the first of each colored disk is sorted on Workcell one, and the second is diverted into Workcell 2 and sorted there.

Lab 12

Up until this point in the series of Labs, the students have experienced heavily scaffolded curriculum with discrete build instructions and code examples. Lab 12 allows students to explore how to slightly alter the Workcell using all of the knowledge they have learned in Labs 1-11 to engage in a classroom competition. Some examples of alterations could include adding additional sensors or extending the height of the disk feeder.

VEX V5 STEM Labs are targeted at a number of standards, helping to ensure all students have access to robust content. You can see the specific ways our lessons help meet the learning objectives for your students in the Where and How Standards are Reached document. Each tab correlates with a different STEM Lab Unit.

• Content standards addressed >
• Where and how the standards are reached >