New Texas Instruments Solderless Robotics Kit Can Be Built in Under 15 Minutes
Texas Instruments has introduced a new solderless robotics kit designed for university classrooms. Part of the company's TI Robotics System Learning Kit product family, the TI-RSLK MAX allows students to build a fully functioning embedded system in under 15 minutes, with no soldering equipment required.
The TI-RSLK series launched last year with the TI-RSLK Maze Edition kit, targeted to teach embedded systems and applications to engineering students. The TI-RSLK MAX boasts the same capabilities of the Maze Edition, such as solving a maze, line following and avoiding obstacles, according to a news announcement. In addition, it "provides a user-friendly assembly of the various sub-systems, speeding up the building and testing of the robot," the company said.
Included in the kit are TI's SimpleLink MSP432P401R microcontroller LaunchPad Development Kit, sensors and a chassis board. The kit also provides core and supplemental curriculum, including lecture videos and slides, lab documentation and demonstration videos, quizzes, classroom activities and other resources, for helping students "integrate their hardware and software knowledge to build and test a system." Optional wireless communication and Internet of Things capabilities can be added to the TI-RSLK MAX, to allow students to remotely control the robot or establish robot-to-robot communication.
"We know engineering educators are continually looking for more ways to teach complex concepts while keeping students engaged," said Peter Balyta, president of TI Education Technology and vice president of academic engagement and corporate citizenship, in a statement. "The TI-RSLK MAX does exactly that. Since the robotics kit can be built quickly, educators can spend more time teaching abstract and advanced concepts, while giving students a foundational hands-on understanding in real-world embedded system design."
The TI-RSLK MAX is priced at $109. For more information, visit the TI site.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].