Meet Reeborg!

Reeborg, a friendly robot, waving hello.

Reeborg is a robot who lives on a grid and does exactly what you tell it — no more, no less. That is the whole problem. Today you'll send Reeborg on a few short missions and find out just how literal a computer really is.

Overview

You'll learn the Python basics for controlling Reeborg — moving, turning, picking things up, and keeping your code readable — by solving a series of short missions.

Before you start

Each mission below has its own button that loads the right world. Save your work after every step — you'll turn all of them in at the end.

You've got it when…

Reeborg completes every mission: returns home, clears the dandelions, walks around the lake, and cleans up the gravel path.
Your code uses comments and blank lines so it's easy to read.
You've saved a .py file for every step.

Collaboration & AI

Work: On your own. You can compare notes with a neighbor, but write your own commands.

AI — AIAS Level 1, No AI: These missions are about learning to think like the robot. Write every command yourself this time. What the levels mean.

The Missions

Step 0 — Meet Reeborg

Open Step 0

We'll do this one together: playing and resetting Reeborg's world, adding a command, dealing with errors, using Reeborg's keyboard, and saving and loading your work.

Step 1 — Return Home

Open Step 1

Your mission: give Reeborg the instructions to return home.

Step 2 — Take and Put

Open Step 2

Use the take() function to pick an item up, and the put() function to set it down.

Your mission: pick up the dandelions, put them in the garbage, and return home.

Step 3 — Turning

Open Step 3

Use the turn_left() function to make Reeborg turn left.

Your mission: make Reeborg walk around the lake.

Step 4 — Comments and Whitespace

Open Step 4

Use comments to organize your code and make it easier to read. A comment is a note for humans that the computer ignores; it starts with the # symbol. Use whitespace — blank lines — the same way, to group your code into sections the computer also ignores.

# This is an example of
# a simple program where Reeborg draws a square,
# leaving an object behind at each corner.

# draw the first side
move()
move()
turn_left()
put()

# draw the second side
move()
move()
turn_left()
put()

# draw the third side
move()
turn_left()
put()

# draw the fourth side
move()
move()
turn_left()
put()

Use the pause() function to make Reeborg wait for you to click the play button.

Your mission: make Reeborg walk down the gravel path, picking up dandelions as it finds them and dropping them in the garbage cans (the grey dandelion images). Have Reeborg pause() at each dandelion it picks. Use comments and whitespace to keep your solution readable.

Turn It In

Turn in your Python (.py) file for each step:

Credit: Adapted from Dan Schellenberg's Computer Science 20 textbook.

How It's Graded

This lab is worth up to 4 points. One score covers everything you turn in.

Score	What it looks like
4 — Excellent	Reeborg completes all four missions — home, dandelions, lake, and the gravel path — your Step 4 code is organized with comments and blank lines like the example (with a `pause()` at each dandelion), and all five `.py` files are turned in.
3 — Above Average	All five files are turned in and the missions work, with minor slips — a missing `pause()`, or comments that thin out near the end.
2 — Average	Real gaps — a mission or two unfinished, files missing from the turn-in, or working code with no comments at all in Step 4.
1 — Below Average	Largely incomplete — only one or two missions run, or most files were never saved.
0 — Failing	Nothing turned in, or no evidence Reeborg ever moved.