Lesson Plans With Dobot Magician End Effectors

The Dobot Magician is an entry level robotic arm that allows students to explicitly learn the basics of robotics based on their rate of learning. There are various ways the Magician can be controlled to execute different tasks. If you have recently purchased a Dobot for your school, or have taken on a Dobot Magician for your STEM or Design and Technology class, here are some quick and easy lesson plans to utilise the types of end effectors on your Dobot Magician.

How Do I Control My Dobot Magician?

Dobot Studio is the official control software for the full range of robotic arm products of the Dobot Magician. This eliminates the need for advanced programming, with its intuitive interface and easy operations. It mainly consists of six functional modules:

1. Teaching & Playback: You can implement a series of simultaneous points of action, and the robotic arm will deftly repeat those actions. The teaching playback control not only supports traditional point control, but also supports digital/analog input triggering, digital output control, and PWM output control, which can meet 70% of applications.
2. Writing & Drawing: This module can control the robotic arm writing, drawing or laser engraving, and complete majority of all functions.
3. Blockly Graphical Programming: Dobot Blockly is developed based on Google’s open source platform Google Blockly. The platform integrates the robotic arm-specific APIs for users to call at any time. Through the platform, the user can program through the puzzle, which is intuitive and easy to understand. You can execute most of the motion control and I/O input and output functions, simultaneously accelerating the speed of application development.
4. Script Control: You can also control the robotic arm with programming script like Python, defining the functions you want to implement. The Dobot community already has some ready-made demo programs that can complete the functions with simple modifications. 
5. Gesture Control: Control Dobot Magician robotic arm based on the gestures of leap motion.
6. Mouse Control: When you enter the mouse control interface, go to the arc marked with the data corresponding to the coordinate axis of the robotic arm. Press the “V” button to start mouse control, and the robotic arm will follow the mouse movement. To stop control, press the “V” button again.

What Type Of End Effectors Comes With The Dobot Magician?

The Magician has a suction cup, a pen holder, a laser, a gripper and 3D printing. By changing the end effectors, different tasks can be carried out.

How Do I Use These End Effectors In My Lessons?

1. Suction Cup

Project Requirement: Stack the three paper cups lying flat on the table
Project Score: The faster the speed is, the higher the score.

Step 1: Control the Z axis, set the suction cup at a position higher than a certain height, then control the X and Y axes respectively to move the suction cup right above the paper cup on the left side, then control the Z axis, drop the suction cup to the bottom of the cup, and start the suction cup to suck the paper cup.

Step 2: Control the Z-axis and lift the paper cup to a certain height with the robotic arm. Then control the X and Y axes respectively to move the suction cup directly above the paper cup in the middle, and close the suction cup.

Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 to suck up the paper cup on the right.

2. Pen Holder

Project Requirement: Write a student’s name on a piece of paper.
Project Score: Neatness and accuracy of writing

Step 1: Attach the pen holder to the Dobot Magician.

Step 2: Use Gesture Control to guide the robotic arm through the movements required to write the name.

Step 3: Have students take turns using gesture control to write their names, then compare the results.

 

3. Gripper

Project Requirement: Build a small structure using LEGO bricks
Project Score: Stability and accuracy of the structure.

Step 1: Attach the gripper to the Dobot Magician.

Step 2: Use Mouse Control to position the robotic arm over each LEGO brick, then control the arm to pick up and place each brick to build the structure.

Step 3: Challenge students to create different structures and test their stability.

4. 3D Printing

Project Requirement: Print a custom keychain
Project Score: Detail and finish of the 3D printed object.

Step 1: Attach the 3D printing module to the Dobot Magician.

Step 2: Use the Blockly Graphical Programming module to design a simple keychain.

Step 3: Control the Dobot Magician to print the keychain layer by layer. Allow students to personalize their designs before printing.

Integrating the Dobot Magician into your STEM or Design and Technology classes can significantly enhance students’ understanding of robotics. With its versatile end effectors and intuitive control modules, the Dobot Magician offers endless possibilities for hands-on learning and creativity. Whether you’re using the suction cup, pen holder, laser, gripper, or 3D printing attachment, there are numerous ways to engage students and bring robotics for schools to life.

At Tools For Schools, you can purchase the Dobot Magician and Dobot Magician Lite robotic arms, along with accessories like the linear rail kit, sensor kit, and mobile platform car. These tools will further enhance the robotics curriculum and provide students with a comprehensive understanding of modern robotics technology.

Explore the possibilities with Dobot Magician and bring the future of robotics to your classroom today!