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Vernier Offers Free Software, Plays with Legos, Goes Green For Education
7/2/2008
The partnership, centering on Vernier's development of an adapter for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotic system that allows the Lego robots to connect to more than 30 of Vernier's analog (BTA) sensors, is part of a concerted effort to advance robotics in education.
According to Vernier, "Combining the NXT program with Vernier sensors allows teachers and students to build robots that can react to temperature, light, pH balance, ultraviolet light, and much more."
In addition to working with Vernier's hardware, the adapter also works with National Instruments' LabVIEW programming language, as well as the Robolab programming language developed by the Center for Engineering Outreach at Tufts.
Finally, Vernier is offering free, information-based classroom activities that take advantage of statistics from recent building renovations that helped earn the company gold-level LEED certification.
The available information includes both live and historical photovoltaic energy production data from Vernier's solar panels, plus a solar panel dashboard that provides a Web cam view of the system, as well as a view of Mt. Hood, giving anecdotal environmental data.
Other measures taken by the company include the installation of a white roof for heat reduction, establishing eco-friendly cleaning practices, and receiving 70 percent of building power from wind generators.
About the author: Chris Riedel is a freelance writer based in Illinois. He can be reached here.
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