Home Smart Home - A Robotics Project

The Model Home - "A Really Cool Home"

Title of Invention - Keep'n Cool

Description:

Our model home has been constructed just to give our participants an idea of what a completed project could look like. It uses wooden parts that have been glued and stapled together along with a LEGOs NXT a bit of cardboard and lots of duct tape. Special thanks to Kathy Holberg, Carl Brown and the teachers and students at Cedar Creek Intermediate School who created this example. Imagination is the only limit... We are looking forward to seeing what smart ideas everyone else will share!

View a film of our "Keep'n Cool Fan" in action. This video clip is in Quicktime format . Click here to download the free Quicktime Player from Apple .

Location:

This "really cool" Invention is located
in the kitchen of this Smart Home!

Purpose:

The "Really Cool" model house has been framed and an environmentally friendly fan has been installed to help keep the temperatures down during those long hot Texas summers. The fan is operated by a motor on the NXT and is programmed using a sensor and temperature probe. When the temperature reaches 80 the fan starts up. When the air cools back below 80 it stops. It is very, very important that this home maintains a constant temperature because the prospective owners make their own hand-made chocolate confections that they sell to to specialty shops around the world!

More Information :

Check out our Model Floor Plan in PDF format. To create it we took a screen shot and pasted the graphic into a document which we converted to a PDF file. We also could have created the Floor Plan in Excel or any graphics program. Take a screen shot of your NXT program to submit in the same way or send in the actual program file..

Please Note:

This is just one way to show off your invention. Rooms and/or houses can be created using shoeboxes, styrofoam, posterboard, coat hangers, or any other type of material. They can even be simply drawn on paper like a stage set or backdrop to give others a good perspective of how you envision the physical placement of your invention within the smart home.

Useful resources for getting started with your own invention:

Start the process with your students by brainstorming ideas for an invention.
Download a Word Document, Printable PDF or Inspiration Template to guide you!
Set up a time planner with meeting dates, times and deadlines.
Download calendar and planner templates for student journals etc.
Discuss and research "What is an invention and why does man invent?"
Download a handout to use with your students!
Create a diagram or floor/plan. A great CAD program for LEGOs is LDraw.
Download a free shareware copy from the LDraw website.
Develop a materials list and assemble supplies.
Click here for a planning template for supplies.
Build your invention, room and house in whatever manner you choose.
Write a program for your invention using NXT software.
Take a screen shot or create a PDF file from your computer program.
Be sure to take lots of digital pictures of your project.
You could even create a short video showing how it functions.
Login to submit your information online.
Don't forget to mail a signed copy of the release form.
Let your school officials know about your students' accomplishments.
Don't forget to print certificates for each of the participants!