10 Mission Instructions

1. Problem

Today’s cars are equipped with many tools to help drivers and, in some cases, they can even be driverless! Some companies are even starting to test completely driverless cars in some cities.


In Mission 1, you already created a simpler version of a driverless car when you had your GoPiGo navigate through a pre-set obstacle course. That car wasn’t quite ready for the road and all its unpredictable dangers though. Ask an adult about their experiences while driving and how human drivers have to watch out for many different types of hazards. 


Self-driving cars have to come equipped with lots of sensors and cameras so they can avoid any obstacle that stands in their way, like pedestrians or cyclists. This advanced technology is still being researched and is very costly. In the meantime, some car makers have developed models equipped with sensors that are meant to help their human driver, instead of replacing them. All car manufacturers are including these sensors in modern cars, but here’s one example of a car with many different built-in sensors.


This month’s mission will be to create a remote control car that won’t get into an accident. You will first build a simple remote control car that can go forward and back, and turn left and right based on key presses on your remote control. Then, you will add some logic and a sensor to it, so the robot can avoid collisions.