Introduction

Back in the old days before 1994, students had to use textbooks, magazines, television and the library to collect information. These are still good things, but now you can also use the World Wide Web. Explore the Internet links on this page and look for good facts, quotations, examples, images, sound clips and video files. Imagine that you're an explorer in cyberspace and your job is to come back from a virtual journey with lots of artifacts and souvenirs to teach people back home what you learned!

Keep this question in mind as you work:

The environmental conditions on Mars will dictate the design of a working Mars robot. What will your robot look like?

Instructions

1. Explore the Internet sites linked below. You're looking for facts, quotes, examples, images, sound clips, videos, and animations that you think are important aspects of the topic.

2. When you find something you like, check its Web page for a copyright notice. Often, students are encouraged to copy things that will only be used in the classroom. Sometimes people don't want their work copied at all. A good practice is looking for an e-mail link on the page and then using it to ask permission.

3. Copy any text you want by dragging across the words, then using the Edit - Copy command on the menubar. Paste what you highlighted into a basic text editor, word processor, desktop publishing program or multimedia program.

4. Save images you like by downloading them. Paste the images you've downloaded into a multimedia, paint or desktop publishing program (like HyperStudio, Clarisworks, or PageMaker) or use one of the graphics viewers listed as Tools on this page to display your collection of images.

5. Be prepared to cut anything that copyright owners tell you they don't want you to have.

6. Once you have collected your information, go over it carefully so that you can give clear and thoughtful reasons why you found the things you collected especially important.
   

The Internet Resources

• The Tech Museum: the 5 Main Parts - Provides a list of the 5 parts needed to qualify a device as a robot.

• University of Texas Robotics Research Group - Historical information including a defention of 'robot', first use of the words 'robot' and 'robotics', Laws of Robotics, first robots, industrial robots and the benefits of robots.

• Nasa's Mars Exploration Program - Data of past, present and future Mars missions

• Athena Mars Exploration Rovers - Site includes the following links: Kids, Educators, Mars Facts, The Mission, Gallery and News

• Mars Quest On Line - Links to Explore Mars surface, understand the Mysteries of Mars and where to find life, and Rover Images.

• Mars Exploration Fun Zone - Student site with many on line activities.

• Robot lab: Telerobotics and Technology Lab - Additional site for educators and students

• Try Science: A-Mazing Robots - Additional site for students

• The ROVer Ranch - Learn about robotics and robotic engineering. Includes a 3-D simulation to build and run a robot

• The Tech Museum: Robotics: Sensing, Thinking, Acting - History, ethics, art, robotics timeline and activities for students in a museum atmosphere.

• University of Texas Robotics Research Group - Historical information including a definition of 'robot', first use of the words 'robot' and 'robotics', Laws of Robotics, first robots, industrial robots and the benefits of robots.

• Nasa's Mars Exploration Program - Data of past, present and future Mars missions

• University of Texas Robotics Research Group - Historical information including a definition of 'robot', first use of the words 'robot' and 'robotics', Laws of Robotics, first robots, industrial robots and the benefits of robots.

Tools

References

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Get definitions to many words quickly.

Grabbing Web Images

Follow a friendly step-by-step tutorial on how to grab images from the Web.

Software

Windows

Software for image management