Table of Contents

Before Part 1

1. Prologue
   Physical AI Begins the Moment the Robot Moves
2. How to Use This Book
   Move It First, Find the Reason, Extend with Code
3. What You Need
4. Getting Started
   Preparing the RoboCo Environment

PART 1 · EXPERIENCE

Drive It First

Drive the robot with Controls Mapping, then move the same keys to the Script robot. Compare speed and terrain, read the Text Screen and LED, and complete a first guide mission by hand.

1. CHAPTER 01. How Does Controls Mapping Move the Robot?
   1.1 W and S: forward, backward, and stopping
   1.2 A and D for turning, Z and C for spinning in place
   1.3 Key 1 Toggle Screen: deploying and folding
2. CHAPTER 02. What Changes When the Same Keys Go Through a Script?
   2.1 The Controls Mapping UI, running the start file, and key 0 Reset All
   2.2 Script driving with W/S/A/D/Z/C
   2.3 Q and E for diagonal moves
3. CHAPTER 03. How Do Power Ratio and Terrain Change the Motion?
   3.1 Different power ratios per key and how motion changes
   3.2 Driving on flat ground versus a slope
   3.3 Finding a way past ledges, stairs, and conveyors
4. CHAPTER 04. How Can You See Key Input and the Robot's Response?
   4.1 Key 1 and deploying or folding the screen
   4.2 Input LED Pulse from Controls Mapping and LED Color from the start file
   4.3 The four-line status display and guide message on the Text Screen
5. CHAPTER 05. Can It Go, Guide, and Come Back?
   5.1 Choosing a guide spot and start position in the Sandbox
   5.2 Reaching the target with turns, in-place rotation, and diagonal moves
   5.3 First mission: stop → deploy → guide → fold → return

PART 2 · UNDERSTAND

Understand the Structure

Trace drive and steering axes, the Port numbers of FL/FR/RL/RR, the Controls path versus the Script path, and why a motor command differs from the actual motion.

1. CHAPTER 06. How Is the Drive Motor Different from the Steering Motor?
   6.1 Wheel rotation versus steering-axis rotation
   6.2 Viewing direction of an axis and CW/CCW
   6.3 Axes and connections of the Steering Servo and Screen-Fold Servo
2. CHAPTER 07. With Many Similar Motors, How Do You Find the Right One?
   7.1 Matching the on-screen part list to the robot
   7.2 FL/FR/RL/RR positions and Port numbers
   7.3 Identifying targets by display name, API class, and Port
3. CHAPTER 08. How Does the Same W Key Travel Differently in Two Robots?
   8.1 Robot 1 — W → Controls Mapping → DC Motor and Input LED
   8.2 Robot 2 — W → Input LED Pulse, and W → Script → DC Motor and LED Color
   8.3 Roles of Controls Mapping, the RoboCo API, and the Educational Library
4. CHAPTER 09. Why Does the Motor Command Differ from the Actual Motion?
   9.1 Forward, backward, and the sign and ratio of spin(power)
   9.2 Left and right DC Motor mounting and wheel rotation direction
   9.3 How Target RPM, Torque, and ground contact change real motion
5. CHAPTER 10. What Motions Come from Combining Four Wheel Directions?
   10.1 W and S for basic driving, A and D for turning
   10.2 Z and C, spinning in place: 45° steering on each wheel plus drive direction
   10.3 Q and E, diagonal moves: all four wheels set parallel at ±45°

PART 3 · CONTROL

Control Values and Actions

Edit values in the start file c01_start.py, then open the Educational Library one layer at a time: key handling, grouping four DC Motors, servo limits, and logging.

1. CHAPTER 11. Which Value Should You Change First?
   11.1 Robot settings as numbers, strings, and booleans
   11.2 Code that runs once versus code that repeats
   11.3 Changing LED Color in the start file while keeping the Controls LED Pulse
2. CHAPTER 12. How Does a Script Read Key Input?
   12.1 Press and release, and last-pressed-key priority
   12.2 Connecting W/S/A/D/Z/C/Q/E to driving actions
   12.3 One press of key 1, one change of the screen target
3. CHAPTER 13. How Do Four DC Motors Become One Driving Function?
   13.1 Creating and reusing References by FL/FR/RL/RR Port
   13.2 Building WASDZCQE actions from drive functions and the provided steering functions
   13.3 spin(0), stop(), and releasing the Script drive signal
4. CHAPTER 14. How Are the Wheel and Screen Ranges Set?
   14.1 The 0° reference and CCW/CW limits
   14.2 The (ccw, cw) order and per-wheel target angle signs
   14.3 Driving postures and Screen-Fold Servo deploy and fold angles
5. CHAPTER 15. How Can You Tell What the Robot Is Doing Now?
   15.1 Logging start, input, state changes, and errors to the console
   15.2 Showing the input and current command on the Text Screen
   15.3 Logging only state changes and releasing Script signals on exit

PART 4 · EXPERIMENT

Change One Condition, Compare

Use keys 2, 3, and 4 to step four wheel-motor settings (Target RPM, acceleration time, brake force, and braking time) through ten levels, and compare before and after under the same conditions. Results from manual driving and Script control are recorded side by side.

1. CHAPTER 16. What Must Stay the Same for a Fair Comparison?
   16.1 Starting experiment mode with key 2 and setting a baseline
   16.2 Stepping Acceleration Time with keys 3 and 4
   16.3 Recording level values and before/after on the screen and LOG
2. CHAPTER 17. Does Spinning Faster Help It Climb?
   17.1 Telling a stalled wheel from a slipping wheel on a slope
   17.2 Changing the spin(power) ratio and Target RPM separately
   17.3 Changing Max Torque and comparing slope results
3. CHAPTER 18. Odd Steering or a Wobbling Body: Where Do You Start?
   18.1 Comparing staggered steering and a slow return to 0°
   18.2 Steering zero, Flip settings, command signs, and double inversion
   18.3 How CCW/CW limits and part interference change the steering range
4. CHAPTER 19. Why Does It Keep Moving After a Stop Command?
   19.1 A lingering Script drive signal versus inertia
   19.2 Changing Max Brake Force and Braking Time one at a time
   19.3 Repeating runs and comparing stop-position error
5. CHAPTER 20. How Do Manual Driving and Script Control Compare?
   20.1 Running Robot 1 and Robot 2 from the same start on the same route
   20.2 Recording path, stop position, and handling across repeated runs
   20.3 When on-the-spot driving wins and when repeatable Script control wins

PART 5 · PROJECT

Complete and Improve the Mission

Write the route in MISSION_ROUTE and run a go–guide–return mission through the WAIT → MOVE → GUIDE → RETURN state flow. When the result is off, find the last good event in the LOG and change one condition only.

1. CHAPTER 21. Who Will the Robot Guide, and to What?
   21.1 Choosing a mission: place guide, event notice, or work-spot marker
   21.2 Designing the start point, guide point, and route in the Sandbox
   21.3 Defining arrival position, heading, message, and return as completion criteria
2. CHAPTER 22. How Do Moves, Turns, and Stops Become One Route?
   22.1 Driving the mission route first with key input
   22.2 Ordering moves with the MISSION_ROUTE list
   22.3 Bounding the motion with run time and user interruption
3. CHAPTER 23. How Do Moving and Guiding Become One State Flow?
   23.1 Building WAIT, MOVE, GUIDE, and RETURN states
   23.2 Automatic screen deploy/fold versus the key-input Toggle
   23.3 Finishing a timed command versus actually arriving
4. CHAPTER 24. Can You Recover When It Goes Wrong?
   24.1 Tracing causes in order: robot file, Input, Port, Motor settings
   24.2 Finding where it stopped in the console LOG and Text Screen
   24.3 Stop → release Script signals → restore the initial state → run again
5. CHAPTER 25. Final Mission: The Guide Robot
   25.1 Full run: start → move → align → guide → fold → return
   25.2 Finding the biggest cause of failure and changing one condition
   25.3 Running again to confirm, then extending the mission to a new place

Epilogue

From a Robot That Moves to a Robot That Senses and Decides

Appendices

1. A. Robot Files, Scripts, Library, and Versions
2. B. Key Names and Controls Mapping
3. C. Ports, Wheel Directions, and Steering Zero
4. D. DC Motor and Servo Motor Settings and API Properties
5. E. RoboCo API and the Author's Educational Library
6. F. Python Syntax for Robot Control
7. G. Text Screen, Input LED, and Console LOG
8. H. Run Errors and Recovery
9. I. Comparison Records and Mission Checklists
10. J. Quick Reference: Terms and Units