---
description: >-
  This workshop series will be focusing on the robotics and automation of a
  mining environment.
---

# Robotics and Automation

### Workshop Outline:

The workshop will be divided into several sections that will build up to the final robotics and automation project.&#x20;

We will be introducing the hardware and software components that are necessary to complete the workshop. The concepts that will be taught are as follows:

## Day 1:

* **Theory: What is Automation?**
* **What is Robotics ?**
* **What is the 4IR ?**
* **Applications of Robotics and Automation in the mining sector (Video).**
* **Introduction to Electronics.**
* **Electrical Circuits.**
* **Introduction to Arduino (microcontroller).**
* **Arduino IDE platform.**&#x20;
* **Basic circuit and programming: simulate traffic lights.**

## Day 2:

* **Introduction to Sensors.**
* **Demonstrate the Light-dependent resistor (LDR) sensor.**&#x20;
* **Demonstrate the gas sensor.**&#x20;
* **Explain how this can be used as part of automation.**

## Day 3:

* **Fundamentals of robotics.**
* **Introduction to the robot arm.**&#x20;
* **Explain all the components of the robot: The elbow, the wrist, the grabber (hand), the servo motor, microcontroller.**

## Day 4:&#x20;

* **Programming the robot arm to pick up and pack objects.**

## Day 5:

* **Continue with the programming.**
* **Demonstration and presentation.**

### Objectives:

**Day 1:**

* Explain what automation and robotics is.
* Explain how does automation play a role in the fourth industrial revolution.
* Explain how robotics and automation is applied to the mining sector.
* Explain how basic electrical circuits work.&#x20;
* Introduce the Arduino Uno micro-controller: Explain its individual components - digital pins, analog pins, micro-controller, LEDs,  USB COM port, e.t.c.
* Introduce the Arduino IDE software - how to install it on your computer; The different sections (boards, port, libraries, e.t.c.).
* **Simulate the traffic lights:**\
  **-** Introduce and explain the breadboard.\
  **-** Introduce and explain how an LED work.\
  **-** Introduce and explain how resistors work (color code).\
  **- Power distribution.** \
  **-** Connect the circuit for the traffic lights.\
  **- The Code -** explain the fundamentals: pin setup (void setup function), pinMode, digitalWrite, time delay.\
  **-  The Arduino IDE -** setting up (configuring) the board and the port; Verifying and uploading the code.
*

#### Day 2:

* Introducing and explaining how the light-dependent resistor (LDR) work.
* Setup the circuit to demonstrate how the LDR work.
* Write the code to serial print the LDR sensor values: Use a flash light and see how that changes.
* Serial print the values of the LDR sensor.
* Introduce and explain the LP gas sensor.
* Connect the circuit for the LP gas sensor.
* Write the code to serial print the LP gas sensor readings.
* Use a lighter to see any changes on the sensor readings.



#### &#x20;
