Theme Park Ride

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Theme Park Ride

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/ljfQfmAcguU?si=1oWetpB-kgYhGdEA

Core Objective:
Design and program an interactive theme park ride that uses sensors to enhance safety and user experience.

Task:
Students choose one ride type to create.

Design Focus:
Iterative Design. Students must document one “failure” and how they fixed the mechanical structure.
Goal: A stable, high-quality build that incorporates at least two sensors.
Math Integration: Calculate the gear ratio (e.g., ) to predict how fast your carousel etc, will spin.
Pseudo-code: Before you touch the Hub, you are to write the logic in plain English
(e.g., “IF the button is pressed AND the seat is down, THEN spin for 10 seconds”).

Part 1 – Prototyping (5 lessons)

Choice 1: Forces & Motion (The Swing Ride)

  • Build: A basic motorized swing or “Pirate Ship” ride.
  • Engineering Focus: Understanding pivots, centre of mass, and friction.
  • Coding: Using “Run for Seconds/Degrees” to create a rhythmic motion.
  • Challenge: Can you make the ride start slow, reach a peak speed, and then “coast” to a stop?

Choice 2: Gearing Up (The Carousel)

  • Build: A classic rotating carousel.
  • Engineering Focus: Gearing ratios. Students must use gears to change the speed or direction of rotation (e.g., vertical motor driving a horizontal platform).
  • Coding: Using “Set Speed” blocks and experimenting with how gear sizes affect actual RPM.
  • Challenge: Use a gear train to make a secondary part of the ride move (like a smaller spinning tea cup on the side).

Choice 3: The “Safety First” Logic (The Drop Tower)

  • Build: A vertical lift and drop mechanism.
  • Engineering Focus: Linear motion using a rack and pinion or a pulley system.
  • Coding: Introducing the Distance/Ultrasonic Sensor. The ride should only “drop” if the area below is clear and stop a certain distance from the ground.
  • Challenge: Program the Light Matrix to show a “Countdown” before the drop occurs.

Choice 4: User Interaction (The Interactive Coaster)

  • Build: A “train” or car on a short track or a spinning “Teacup” ride.
  • Engineering Focus: Stability and centrifugal force.
  • Coding: Use the Force Sensor (as a start button) and the Colour Sensor.
  • Challenge: Create a “Ticket System”—the ride only starts if the Colour Sensor detects a “Green Ticket” (green LEGO brick).

Part 2 – The Grand Opening (Lesson 6)

  • Task: Finalize code and add “theming” (decorations, lights, and sounds).
  • Assessment: A “Trade Show” style walkthrough where groups demonstrate:
    1. How their ride works mechanically.
    2. How the code handles “Safety” (Sensor logic).
    3. A unique feature (e.g., custom sounds or light patterns).