Mission Instructions

Your mission is to create a robot that can explore remote, narrow canyons. First, you will create a sample canyon system with both a left and right turn. Then you will design, test, and refine your robot until it can navigate the canyon system independently.

6. Plan Your Code

Let’s think aloud as if we were the GoPiGo.

What blind spots do I have?

  • There are no sensors facing backwards, so driving in reverse is not recommended. 
  • Which side am I completely blind? There may be some things I simply can’t see! 

When can I go forwards?

  • When there's enough space in front of me.

What can I do if I can't go forward because there's a wall?

  • Check the side sensor to see if there’s room on that side. If there’s room, then turn towards that side.

What can I do if I can’t go forward nor turn to the side that has my second sensor?

  • Assuming there's an opening to the other side and turn away from my side sensor. Now can I go forward?

If there’s room to go forward and there’s an opening to the side where my distance sensor is, what should I do?

  • Since I follow the left-hand rule, do you think I should prioritize turning instead of driving forward? In this simple canyon system, it won’t matter much which one is prioritized but it may become important when you build bigger canyon systems.

How will I know I solved the canyon system?

  • What is different about the world outside the canyon system compared to being inside the canyon system?

In Mission 1, you created a canyon system but you knew in advance how long the GoPiGo had to drive so you were able to use specific distances.


This will not be the case here. We’re trying to solve an unknown canyon system!