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(Ebook) Robotics Models Using LEGO WeDo 2.0: Design, Build, Program, Test, Document and Share by Diego Galvez-Aranda, Mauricio Galvez Legua ISBN 9781484268452, 1484268458 - The ebook with rich content is ready for you to download

The document provides information about various ebooks available for instant download on ebooknice.com, including titles related to robotics, cooking, mathematics, and history. Each ebook entry includes the title, authors, ISBN numbers, and a link for downloading. The document emphasizes the ease of access to digital formats suitable for reading on any device.

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TECHNOLOGY IN AC TION™

Robotics Models
Using LEGO
WeDo 2.0
Design, Build, Program, Test, Document and Share

Diego Galvez-Aranda
Mauricio Galvez Legua
Robotics Models
Using LEGO WeDo 2.0
Design, Build, Program, Test, Document
and Share

Diego Galvez-Aranda
Mauricio Galvez Legua
Robotics Models Using LEGO WeDo 2.0: Design, Build, Program, Test, Document
and Share
Diego Galvez-Aranda Mauricio Galvez Legua
Bryan, TX, USA Ate, Ancash, Peru

ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4842-6845-2 ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4842-6846-9


https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-6846-9
Copyright © 2021 by Diego Galvez-Aranda and Mauricio Galvez Legua
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the
material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
Trademarked names, logos, and images may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with
every occurrence of a trademarked name, logo, or image we use the names, logos, and images only in an
editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the
trademark.
The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not
identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to
proprietary rights.
While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication,
neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or
omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein.
Managing Director, Apress Media LLC: Welmoed Spahr
Acquisitions Editor: Aaron Black
Development Editor: James Markham
Coordinating Editor: Jessica Vakili
Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business Media New York,1 NY Plazar,
New York, NY 10014. Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505, e-mail [email protected], or
visit www.springeronline.com. Apress Media, LLC is a California LLC and the sole member (owner) is
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detailed information, please visit http://www.apress.com/source-code.
Printed on acid-free paper
To my parents, Elsa and Mauricio,
and my sisters, Fernanda and Graciela,
for always supporting me. Vamos!

—Diego Galvez-Aranda
Table of Contents
About the Authors����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ix
About the Technical Reviewer���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������xi
About the Graphic Designers���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������xiii
Introduction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������xv

Chapter 1: What to Know Before You Start?������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1


Initial concepts������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Robotics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
Phases in prototyping��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Mechanics�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Informatics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Electronics������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 14
Robot�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
Three-dimensional projections���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18

Chapter 2: In-Phase Robots����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27


Frog�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
Design phase: Parallel in-phase motion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29
Build phase: Parallel linkage and Gear train�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30
Program phase: Motor blocks������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 48
Test phase: Motor power and direction���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 50
Document & share phase������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51
Turtle������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 52
Design phase: In-phase slow motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 53
Build phase: Worm gear��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 54
Program phase: Tilt sensor and infinite loop�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74
Test phase: Tilt sensor states������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 76
Document & share phase������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 77

v
Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Biped Robots���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 79


Humboldt penguin���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80
Design phase: Out-phase motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 81
Build phase: Inverted slider-crank linkage����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 82
Program phase: Finite loop�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 101
Test phase: Controlling motor direction�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 102
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 103
American Rhea������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 104
Design phase: Stable motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 105
Build phase: Center of gravity���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 106
Program phase: Start on key press blocks��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 125
Test phase: Condition — action������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 126
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 127

Chapter 4: Crawling Robots��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 129


Caiman������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 130
Design phase: Four-legged crawling motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 131
Build phase: In-phase vs. out-phase������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 132
Program phase: Distance sensor����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 151
Test phase: Interacting with environment���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 152
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 153
Sea lion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 154
Design phase: Two-legged crawling motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 155
Build phase: Chebyshev’s lambda linkage��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 156
Program phase: Variables����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 173
Test phase: Controlling motor power������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 175
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 175

Chapter 5: Quadruped Robots������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 177


Plesiosaurus����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 178
Design phase: Quadruped walking motion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 179
Build phase: Multiple Chebyshev’s lambda�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 180

vi
Table of Contents

Program phase: Control on/off��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199


Test phase: Controlling motor on/off������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 200
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 201
Dog������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 202
Design phase: Multiphase synchronization�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 203
Build phase: Multiple synchro and linkages������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 204
Program phase: Input sound block��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 225
Test phase: Motor control by sound������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 226
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 227

Chapter 6: Humanoids����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 229


Skier����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 230
Design phase: Humanoids���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 231
Build phase: Multiphase synchro motion����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 231
Program phase: Motor ramp starting����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 247
Test phase: Accelerate motion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 248
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 249
Astronaut���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 250
Design phase: Humanoid bipedal motion����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 251
Build phase: Parallel Chebyshev’s lambda��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 252
Program phase: Motor ramp stopping���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 278
Test phase: Decelerate motion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 279
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 279

Chapter 7: Biomimetic Robots����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 281


Dolphin������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 282
Design phase: Diving motion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 283
Build phase: Parallel free-joint linkage�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 284
Program phase: Random and LED blocks���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 303
Test phase: Dealing with randomness���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 304
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 305

vii
Table of Contents

Pelican�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 306
Design phase: Flapping wings motion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 307
Build phase: Crank-rocker four-bar linkage������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 308
Program phase: Power control by sensor���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 331
Test phase: Getting closer and further��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 333
Document & share phase����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 333

Chapter 8: What’s Next?�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 335


First prototype versions������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 337
Review���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 339
Concept maps���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 346
Index�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 361

viii
About the Authors
Diego Galvez-Aranda obtained his degree in electrical engineering from the National University of
Engineering in Lima, Peru.
Thanks to his father, during his childhood, Diego grew up building LEGO Technic models, awakening
his interest in engineering. During his undergraduate days, Diego started a blog called “Not Just Bricks” in
which he started posting various projects and building instructions that he developed using the LEGO WeDo
and LEGO Mindstorms set.
Thanks to his blog, he started a “Robotics in Schools” project. The main idea behind the project was to
implement robotics classes at various schools across Peru and elaborate support materials for teachers to
apply robotics in their classes.
Simultaneously, Diego was invited to write several articles in HispaBrick Magazine about the LEGO
WeDo set. In the magazine, he wrote 12 articles on how to program various LEGO WeDo projects from the
entry level.
In 2012, together with a group of friends, Diego founded the “Lego Robotics Club” at his university. As
part of the “Robotics Club,” he competed in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015,
getting the first place in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 editions.
Diego believes in robotics as a powerful tool to enhance the learning experience of children in different
areas. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering at Texas A&M University in Texas, USA. His
thesis work involves machine learning and molecular simulations of rechargeable Li-ion batteries.

Mauricio Galvez Legua is an electronic engineer graduated from the National University of Engineering
in Lima, Peru with more than 30 years as a teacher in Institutes and Universities in Peru. He has a master
degree in “Evaluation and Accreditation of Educational Quality”.
He was in charge of the implementation of educational robotics in the peruvian Ministry of Education.
He is currently a professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the National
University of Engineering. He teaches courses on digital systems, microprocessors/ microcontrollers,
programming C, computer architecture, data networks, operating systems and Robotics.

ix
About the Technical Reviewer
Edwar Alvarado Zavaleta obtained his degree in electrical engineering from the National University of
Engineering in Lima, Peru. He was in charge of the implementation of educational robotics in the Ministry
of Education, Peru.
Edwar is continuously teaching robotics in various schools and preparing virtual material that is used
as support material for teachers and students through the virtual platform “Robotronic” that helps them to
use robotics in their classes. He also coached several high-school teams that competed in the World Robot
Olympiad (WRO).
Edwar collaborated on the development of the building instructions shown in this book.

xi
About the Graphic Designers
Fernanda Galvez Aranda is an environmental engineer from La Molina National Agrarian University in
Lima, Peru. She has attended multiple drawing and painting workshops showing her artwork.
In this book, Fernanda has designed the illustration concepts, considering the goals of the book and the
environment in which the animals that inspired the prototypes live.
Fernanda has created and drawn by hand the main characters, all their positions, and all the objects
which they have interacted with.

Graciela Galvez Aranda is a biologist from Ricardo Palma University in Lima, Peru. As a student, she has
worked in management and graphic design in companies related to education.
Her studies in science have given her a different view of robotics, since she believes it studies nature as a
way to understand it better.
In this book, Graciela has digitized the hand-drawn drawings of each character and helped give them life
with colors.
Also, she has done the covers of each chapter like they were from fairy tales, trying to ensure there was
harmony between nature and the prototypes.

xiii
Introduction
This book has been written with the purpose of documenting my experience in the design and construction
of robotic prototypes and is aimed at children who like to put things together and take things apart, who
are restless, and who express in their behavior a need to understand how “our world works.” That curiosity
was fueled in large part by LEGO kits, which were companions on adventures throughout my childhood. I
was fascinated by how I could “build” objects, animals, and machines, following building guides. My hands
began to be those of a “digital artisan,” which allowed me to build my own ideas. Over time, and given my
degree in electronic engineering, I started sharing my knowledge to the next generation of creators. Through
robotics courses for children, I developed a teaching methodology called “five phases in prototyping,” which
is the basis of this book.
The book is aimed at young LEGO enthusiasts who want to prototype solutions to challenges using
mechanical and computer science engineering. Teachers and parents will also find the book a helpful guide
to introducing the world of robotics in a dynamic and fun way. Its fundamental purpose is to introduce
concepts of design, construction, and prototype programming in a fun way. The book uses simple language
to make it easy to understand for children. We chose projects based on animals (not robots) in clear allusion
to the importance of maintaining the bond with our natural world and respect for nature and environment.
Each book’s chapter will follow the “five phases in prototyping” to create robots inspired by animals,
challenging you to replicate a bio-inspired motion, such as crawling, quadruped walking, biped walking,
flapping wings, and swimming. Through the five phases in prototyping, you will encourage your
problem-solving skills by analyzing situations, designing solutions, and checking how they work, stimulating
your imagination and creativity.

xv
What to know
1
before you start?
Contents
- Initial concepts: Learning, technology, science and engineering
- Robotics
- Phases in prototyping: Design, Build, Program, Test, Document & share
- Mechanics
- Informatics
- Electronics
- Robot
- 3D projections

1
2
Initial concepts
Learning I wonder how planes can
• Is strongly related to doing. fly?
• Is an active knowledge-building experience.
• We learn when we are curious: We investigate, explore,
make, and test.

Technology
• Is the set of skills, methods, or processes used for the
design and construction of machines or services to
satisfy human needs.

Science
• Nowadays, the work is mental and no longer only physical.
• Intelligence is the work tool.
• The knowledge is obtained through observation and experimentation.

Technology Science

Engineering
• Apply scientific knowledge (math, physics, chemistry, etc.) to develop technology
(models and techniques) and solve problems affecting the humanity.
• Invention is making an idea come true.

3
Automated systems evolution

Metal Age

Stone Age

• Humans have evolved from the


beginning of time, adapting to
the environment, using tools,
Mechanization mastering metals, building ma-
chines (mechanization), and
giving them a basic level of in-
telligence (automation) to have
autonomous machines (roboti-
zation).

Automation Robotization

4
Robotics

• Robotics is the design and construction of machines with a certain degree of intelli-
gence, capable of replacing human beings in certain activities.
• Robotics is an interdisciplinary field, involving the interaction of several other fields
such as mechanics, electronics, and informatics.

Actuators
Mechanism Sensors

Structures
Controller
Mechanics Electronics

Machines Robotics

Network
Control
USB
software Informatics Bluetooth

Programming Simulator
language software

5
Phases in prototyping
It is time to introduce you
• Encourages problem-solving skills by analyzing
to some of my friends!
situations, designing solutions, and checking how
they work
• Stimulates imagination and creativity
• Five phases: Design, Build, Program, Test, and
Document & share

Hi! I’m “Brolin” and I like to design


solutions inspired in nature.
Design phase
• It starts with “imitation,” copying examples
that you observe in reality, evolving through
“imagination” to create your own designs.

Hola! I’m “Rafa” and I like to build

Build phase the things that “Brolin” designs!

• Is the implementation of the design, which is


called prototype.
• You make use of your manual skills and un-
derstanding of building instructions or plans.

Hi! I’m “Dawn” and I enjoy pro-


gramming; I can spend hours cod-
ing in front of the computer! Program phase
• It is “telling” your prototype what to do ac-
cording to its design.
• It is described by a sequence of steps that
define the behavior of your prototype (pro-
gram).

6
Test phase My turn! I like testing all the cool
stuff that my friends create.
• Visual verification that your prototype works as
planned.
• If the prototype does not work, this may be due
to errors in the program phase, the build phase,
or the design phase. If so, you should return to the
corresponding phase and solve the problem.

Hello! I’m “Zuzu” and I like to


share all the inventions my
friends make.
Document & share phase
• Once your prototype is working without any errors,
then you can document it so that in the future you
can repeat it and/or improve it.
• This also allows you to share your work spreading
knowledge, so others can try your prototype.

Phases in prototyping

Document
Design Build Program Test &
share

No Yes
Does it work?

7
Mechanics

• Mechanics allow the design of the prototype physical


structure.
• Structural parts, simple machines, and motion transmis-
sion systems are examples of the use of mechanics.

LEGO pieces
• In your LEGO WeDo set, you will find pieces of different colors, sizes, and types. Each
of them allows you to build different prototypes.
• In the following sections, you will explore all the mechanical pieces that come in your
WeDo set.

Bricks
• Can be connected to other bricks by using the studs located on the top face.

Plates
• Similar to bricks but they are three times thinner.
• Come in different shapes, not only rectangular.
• Some of them have holes for different assembly methods.

8
Beams
• Similar to bricks but with holes at the sides.
• Are always 1 unit in width and from 2 to 16 units in length.

Axles
• They are used to transfer rotational motion. Usually work together with gears and beams.
• Can be also used as structural support elements.
• Axle length is measured by counting the studs from a beam. 6

Bushings
• They are used to hold the position of the axles.

Connectors
• They are used to assemble two beams together.

Pulleys
• They are used to transfer rotational motion. It must
be used together with a rubber band or a string.

9
Gears
• They are used to transfer rotational motion through their teeth.

• Two particular types of gears are worm gear and gear rack.

Wheels
• They are used to reduce friction, making the transportation of heavy objects easier.
• Must be used together with axles.

Slope bricks
• Let you get away from the blockiness of regular bricks by adding slopes.
• Come in different sizes and heights.
• Their function is mostly decorative to add details in your buildings.

Mechanism
• A set of pieces that are connected between them to transfer and/or transform energy
and motion.

10
Informatics

• Informatics allow you to create programs through a pro-


gramming language to “bring life” to your prototypes.

Algorithm
• Algorithm is a finite and ordered sequence of tasks to follow in order to solve a prob-
lem. To design an algorithm, you first have to identify and analyze the problem you want
to solve.

Flowchart
• A flowchart is a diagram that represents a sequence of tasks (algorithm).
• A flowchart shows each task as a box, and the order sequence is defined by connecting
the boxes with arrows.

Program
• A program is a set of instructions that a computer understands and executes.
• Programs are written using a programming language, allowing the communication b e-
tween the given instructions and the computer.

01101000 01101111
Hello 01101100 01100001
Language
incompatibility

Programming language
01101000 01101111
Hello Hello = 010111010 01101100 01100001

11
WeDo programming
• The WeDo program uses an iconographic programming language.
• A specific task is represented as a “block.”
• By “dragging and dropping” blocks, you can build a program.
• In a WeDo project, you can create your program and document your results.

WeDo programming environment

Project box Connection box


• Indicates when a Hub, sensor,
or motor is connected to the
• You can create new projects,
computer.
check some building instructions,
and take pictures and notes to Navigation box
document your projects.
• You can zoom in and zoom out
the workspace, navigating through
it by dragging the mouse cursor.

Stop button
• Stops any running program
in the workspace.
Palette

• Lists all the programming blocks.

Drag and drop


• To start a program, you “drag” the blocks in the palette and “drop” them in the work-
space.
• To delete a block from your workspace, simply “drag” it and “drop” it back in the pal-
ette.

12
Flow blocks
• Are the yellow blocks and control the flow of your program.

Display and sound blocks


• Are the red blocks and allow you to reproduce sounds and pictures on the screen.
• You can also perform some mathematical calculations such as addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division.

Numeric and text inputs


• These blocks need to work together with the flow blocks or the display and sound
blocks. They allow you to enter data in your program. The data can be a random number,
a fix number, a text, or the sound level of a microphone.

Time to play a little bit with all the


blocks you know so far. Here are
some examples, but you can try
many other block combinations!

13
Electronics
• Electronics allows you to add “senses” to your prototype,
making it able to “see” or “hear,” thanks to the use of sen-
sors.
• Also, your prototype can perform tasks such as moving
around or picking up objects using actuators such as the
electric motor.

Hub
• It allows communication between the computer and
other electronic devices such as sensors and motors.
• It communicates with a computer, smartphone, or tablet
through Bluetooth.
• It is the power source for all the other electronic devices.
It requires two AA batteries.
• It comes with an LED (actuator) that you can program to
set the color.

Electric motor
• An actuator that transforms electrical energy into
mechanical energy.
• The electrical energy comes from the batteries inside the
Hub.
• It produces rotational motion.
• Five programming blocks allow us to control the electric
motor: motor power, wait for, stop motor, turn anti-clock-
wise, turn clockwise.

14
Tilt sensor
• It detects six different states. For each state, there is a pro-
gramming block: shake, tilt down, tilt up, tilt that way, tilt
this way, and tilt sensor no tilt.

Distance sensor
• It detects when an object is in front of it. The distance sen-
sor would be equivalent to the human eyes for a robot.
• Four programming blocks can be used with the distance
sensor: any distance change, distance change closer, dis-
tance change further, and distance sensor input.

Robot
• It is an electronic and mechanical machine, capable of movement and action, that
perceives its environment, performs tasks automatically, has computational intelli-
gence, and is programmable.

How does a robot work?


A robot processes the information and based on its programming
takes decisions: if there is an obstacle, it moves to avoid it.
Process
“Think”

A robot perceives the


environment around A robot uses its actuator
Sensing Action
it: detects if there are to perform an action:
“Perceive” “Perform”
obstacles in front of it. moves or turns on a light.

15
Robot characteristics

Building pieces

Mechanical
machine
No need of an
Software, program operator

Programmable Automated

Robot

Perceives the Movement


environment and action

Sensors Actuators
Computational
intelligence

Microcontroller

Electronics

16
Is it a robot? Let’s practice the definition of a
Only if the answer to all the six questions is YES, we robot and see if you can identify
are in front of a robot: which are robots and which are
not!

1 Is it a mechanical machine?

2 Does it have movement and action?

3 Is it programmable?

4 Does it have computational intelligence?

5 Is it automated?

6 Does it perceive the environment?

Bike Camera Smartphone WeDo

1 YES!
x x x / 1 YES! 1 YES! 1 YES!

2 YES! 2 NO! 2 NO! 2 YES!

3 NO! 3 YES! 3 YES! 3 YES!

4 NO! 4 YES! 4 YES! 4 YES!

5 NO! 5 NO! 5 NO! 5 YES!

6 NO! 6 YES! 6 YES! 6 YES!

17
Three-dimensional projections
• Before you start building the several prototypes shown in
the book, you can test your skills by building some basic ones.
• A three-dimensional object has length, width, and height;
therefore, it has volume.
• Let’s explore the different methods that are used to rep-
resent a three-dimensional object on a piece of paper (two
dimensions).

Isometric projection
• It is a graphical representation of a three-dimensional object on a plane (two dimen-
sions).
• All the building instructions are given in an isometric projection.
• Example: By only using the following images, can you count how many bricks are in
each image?

Orthogonal projection
• Similarly to an isometric projection, it is a graphical representation of a three-dimen-
sional object but using several plane views: Top view

Left view Front view

18
• Try to build the following constructions using only their projections:

Frog
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

Turtle
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

19
Penguin
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

American rhea
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

20
Caiman
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

Sea lion
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

21
Plesiosaurus
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

Dog
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

22
Skier
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

Astronaut
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

23
Dolphin
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

Pelican
Isometric Top view

Left view Front view

24
Now you are ready to start building robots inspired by wildlife!

25
2
In-phase robots
Contents
Frog
- Parallel linkage and gear train
- Motor programming blocks
- Motor power and direction
Turtle
- Worm gear
- Tilt sensor programming blocks
- Tilt sensor states

27
Frog

28
Design phase: Parallel in-phase motion
• In this phase, you can use a white paper and a pencil to start drawing your ideas!

Looking for inspiration


• Frogs are amphibians that are known for their jumping abilities, croaking sounds, bulg-
ing eyes, and slimy skin.
• Frogs use quick jumps to escape from predators.
• A jumping frog can leap away from danger in an instant and hide safely in the water.

How can I replicate the frog


jumping motion?

• On a piece of paper, you can sketch some ideas to replicate the frog jumping motion!

Parallel motion
• The parallel motion is a four-bar linkage in which two bars rotate while the other two bars
keep its position.
• The mechanism consists of a bar moving straight up and down from a transmitted
motion generated by two rotating bars.
• Used to convert the rotational motion into a parallel motion.

29
Build phase: Parallel linkage and Gear train
• Given the following building instructions, you can build your own parallel motion linkage.

1 2 6

3 4

Extra views

Top view Back view

Test the parallel motion linkage by


rotating both axles at the same time!

30
Gear transmission
• Gears have one main purpose: transmit mechanical energy.
• Gear teeth are designed to avoid slipping and provide a smooth transmission of ro-
tation between two gears.
• A gear train is formed by mounting several gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears
engage to transmit rotational motion.
• In a gear train, the first gear is the driver gear, the last gear is the follower gear, and all
the gears in between are called idler gears.
• Gearing down: If a large gear is driven with a small gear, the torque (force) increases,
but the speed decreases.
• Gearing up: If a small gear is driven with a large gear, the speed increases, but the torque
(force) decreases.

er
Driver

Fo r
Follower

w
le
llo
Id
er
Driver Follower

riv
D

Gearing down Gearing up Gear train

Gear train + parallel motion


• You can add a gear train to the par-
allel motion linkage.

• With the addition of a gear train, you


only need to rotate one axle, and the
rotational motion is transmitted to
the other axle.

• Now you are ready to build your WeDo frog prototype!


• Before you start building, prepare a suitable workspace.
• Keep in mind that the WeDo set has small pieces, so prepare a
table with enough space to easily identify all the pieces and pre-
vent them from getting lost.

31
Building instructions
1

32
3

33
5

10

10

34
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with Unrelated Content
Stretcher-bearers had to cross with their companies; none of the
attacking party must deal with the men who fell out on the way
across. A party would be detailed out to attend to the wounded who
fell near the assembly trenches.... The attack had been planned with
such intelligent foresight that our casualties would be very few. The
job before us was quite easy and simple.
"What do you think of it?" I asked my mate, Bill Teake. "I think a
bottle of champagne would be very nice."
"Just what I thought myself," said Bill. "I see Dudley Pryor is off
to the café already. I've no money. I'm pore as a mummy."
"You got paid yesterday," I said with a laugh. "You get poor very
quickly."
An embarrassed smile fluttered around his lips.
"A man gets pore 'cordin' to no rule," he replied. "Leastways, I
do."
"Well, I've got a lot of francs," I said. "We may as well spend it."
"You're damned right," he answered. "Maybe, we'll not 'ave a
chance to——"
"It doesn't matter a damn whether——"
"The officer says it will be an easy job. I don't know the——"
He paused. We understood things half spoken.
"Champagne?" I hinted.
"Nothing like champagne," said Bill.
CHAPTER IV
Before the Charge
Before I joined the Army
I lived in Donegal,
Where every night the Fairies,
Would hold their carnival.
But now I'm out in Flanders,
Where men like wheat-ears fall,
And it's Death and not the Fairies
Who is holding carnival.

I poked my head through the upper window of our billet and


looked down the street. An ominous calm brooded over the village,
the trees which lined the streets stood immovable in the darkness,
with lone shadows clinging to the trunks. On my right, across a little
rise, was the firing line. In the near distance was the village of Bully-
Grenay, roofless and tenantless, and further off was Philosophé, the
hamlet with its dark-blue slag-heap bulking large against the
horizon. Souchez in the hills was as usual active; a heavy artillery
engagement was in progress. White and lurid splashes of flame
dabbed at the sky, and the smoke, rising from the ground, paled in
the higher air; but the breeze blowing away from me carried the
tumult and thunder far from my ears. I looked on a conflict without
sound; a furious fight seen but unheard.
A coal-heap near the village stood, colossal and threatening; an
engine shunted a long row of wagons along the railway line which
fringed Les Brebis. In a pit by the mine a big gun began to speak
loudly, and the echo of its voice palpitated through the room and
dislodged a tile from the roof.... My mind was suddenly permeated
by a feeling of proximity to the enemy. He whom we were going to
attack at dawn seemed to be very close to me. I could almost feel
his presence in the room. At dawn I might deprive him of life and he
might deprive me of mine. Two beings give life to a man, but one
can deprive him of it. Which is the greater mystery? Birth or death?
They who are responsible for the first may take pleasure, but who
can glory in the second?... To kill a man.... To feel for ever after the
deed that you have deprived a fellow being of life!
"We're beginning to strafe again," said Pryor, coming to my side
as a second reverberation shook the house. "It doesn't matter. I've
got a bottle of champagne and a box of cigars."
"I've got a bottle as well," I said.
"There'll be a hell of a do to-morrow," said Pryor.
"I suppose there will," I replied. "The officer said that our job will
be quite an easy one."
"H'm!" said Pryor.
I looked down at the street and saw Bill Teake.
"There's Bill down there," I remarked. "He's singing a song.
Listen."
"'I like your smile,
I like your style,
I like your soft blue dreamy eyes——'"

"There's passion in that voice," I said. "Has he fallen in love


again?"
A cork went plunk! from a bottle behind me, and Pryor from the
shadows of the room answered, "Oh, yes! He's in love again; the girl
next door is his fancy now."
"Oh, so it seems," I said. "She's out at the pump now and Bill is
edging up to her as quietly as if he were going to loot a chicken off
its perch."
Bill is a boy for the girls; he finds a new love at every billet. His
fresh flame was a squat stump of a Millet girl in short petticoats and
stout sabots. Her eyes were a deep black, her teeth very white. She
was a comfortable, good-natured girl, "a big 'andful of love," as he
said himself, but she was not very good-looking.
Bill sidled up to her side and fixed an earnest gaze on the water
falling from the pump; then he nudged the girl in the hip with a
playful hand and ran his fingers over the back of her neck.
"Allez vous en!" she cried, but otherwise made no attempt to
resist Bill's advances.
"Allez voos ong yerself!" said Bill, and burst into song again.
"'She's the pretty little girl from Nowhere,
Nowhere at all.
She's the——'"

He was unable to resist the temptation any longer, and he


clasped the girl round the waist and planted a kiss on her cheek.
The maiden did not relish this familiarity. Stooping down she placed
her hand in the pail, raised a handful of water and flung it in Bill's
face. The Cockney retired crestfallen and spluttering, and a few
minutes afterwards he entered the room.
"Yes, I think that there are no women on earth to equal them,"
said Pryor to me, deep in a pre-arranged conversation. "They have a
grace of their own and a coyness which I admire. I don't think that
any women are like the women of France."
"'Oo?" asked Bill Teake, sitting down on the floor.
"Pat and I are talking about the French girls," said Pryor. "They're
splendid."
"H'm!" grunted Bill in a colourless voice.
"Not much humbug about them," I remarked.
"I prefer English gals," said Bill. "They can make a joke and take
one. As for the French gals, ugh!"
"But they're not all alike," I said. "Some may resent advances in
the street, and show a temper when they're kissed over a pump."
"The water from the Les Brebis pumps is very cold," said Pryor.
We could not see Bill's face in the darkness, but we could almost
feel our companion squirm.
"'Ave yer got some champagne, Pryor?" he asked with studied
indifference. "My froat's like sandpaper."
"Plenty of champagne, matey," said Pryor in a repentant voice.
"We're all going to get drunk to-night. Are you?"
"'Course I am," said Bill. "It's very comfy to 'ave a drop of
champagne."
"More comfy than a kiss even," said Pryor.
As he spoke the door was shoved inwards and our corporal
entered. For a moment he stood there without speaking, his long,
lank form darkly outlined against the half light.
"Well, corporal?" said Pryor interrogatively.
"Why don't you light a candle?" asked the corporal. "I thought
that we were going to get one another's addresses."
"So we were," I said, as if just remembering a decision arrived at
a few hours previously. But I had it in my mind all the time.
Bill lit a candle and placed it on the floor while I covered up the
window with a ground sheet. The window looked out on the firing
line three kilometres away, and the light, if uncovered, might be
seen by the enemy. I glanced down the street and saw boys in khaki
strolling aimlessly about, their cigarettes glowing.... The star-shells
rose in the sky out behind Bully-Grenay, and again I had that feeling
of the enemy's presence which was mine a few moments before.
Kore, another of our section, returned from a neighbouring café,
a thoughtful look in his dark eyes and a certain irresolution in his
movements. His delicate nostrils and pale lips quivered nervously,
betraying doubt and a little fear of the work ahead at dawn. Under
his arm he carried a bottle of champagne which he placed on the
floor beside the candle. Sighing a little, he lay down at full length on
the floor, not before he brushed the dust aside with a newspaper.
Kore was very neat and took great pride in his uniform, which fitted
him like an eyelid.
Felan and M'Crone came in together, arm in arm. The latter was
in a state of subdued excitement; his whole body shook as if he
were in fever; when he spoke his voice was highly pitched and
unnatural, a sign that he was under the strain of great nervous
tension. Felan looked very much at ease, though now and again he
fumbled with the pockets of his tunic, buttoning and unbuttoning the
flaps and digging his hands into his pockets as if for something
which was not there. He had no cause for alarm; he was the
company cook and, according to regulations, would not cross in the
charge.
"Blimey! you're not 'arf a lucky dawg!" said Bill, glancing at Felan.
"I wish I was the cook to-morrow."
"I almost wish I was myself."
"Wot d'yer mean?"
"Do you expect an Irishman is going to cook bully-beef when his
regiment goes over the top?" asked Felan. "For shame!"
We rose, all of us, shook him solemnly by the hand, and wished
him luck.
"Now, what about the addresses?" asked Kore. "It's time we
wrote them down."
"It's as well to get it over," I said, but no one stirred. We viewed
the job with distrust. By doing it we reconciled ourselves to a dread
inevitable; the writing of these addresses seemed to be the only
thing that stood between us and death. If we could only put it off for
another little while....
"We'll 'ave a drink to 'elp us," said Bill, and a cork went plonk!
The bottle was handed round, and each of us, except the corporal,
drank in turn until the bottle was emptied. The corporal was a
teetotaller.
"Now we'll begin," I said. The wine had given me strength. "If
I'm killed write to —— and ——, tell them that my death was sudden
—easy."
"That's the thing to tell them," said the corporal. "It's always best
to tell them at home that death was sudden and painless. It's not
much of a consolation, but——"
He paused.
"It's the only thing one can do," said Felan.
"I've nobody to write to," said Pryor, when his turn came.
"There's a Miss——. But what the devil does it matter! I've nobody
to write to, nobody that cares a damn what becomes of me," he
concluded. "At least I'm not like Bill," he added.
"And who will I write to for you, Bill?" I asked.
Bill scratched his little white potato of a nose, puckered his lips,
and became thoughtful. I suddenly realised that Bill was very dear to
me.
"Not afraid, matey?" I asked.
"Naw," he answered in a thoughtful voice.
"A man has only to die once, anyhow," said Felan.
"Greedy! 'Ow many times d'yer want ter die?" asked Bill. "But I
s'pose if a man 'ad nine lives like a cat 'e wouldn't mind dyin' once."
"But suppose," said Pryor.
"S'pose," muttered Bill. "Well, if it 'as got to be it can't be
'elped.... I'm not goin' to give any address to anybody," he said. "I'm
goin' to 'ave a drink."
We were all seated on the floor round the candle which was
stuck in the neck of an empty champagne bottle. The candle
flickered faintly, and the light made feeble fight with the shadows in
the corners. The room was full of the aromatic flavour of Turkish
cigarettes and choice cigars, for money was spent that evening with
the recklessness of men going out to die. Teake handed round a
fresh bottle of champagne and I gulped down a mighty mouthful. My
shadow, flung by the candle on the white wall, was a grotesque
caricature, my nose stretched out like a beak, and a monstrous
bottle was tilted on demoniac lips. Pryor pointed at it with his trigger
finger, laughed, and rose to give a quotation from Omar, forgot the
quotation, and sat down again. Kore was giving his home address to
the corporal, Bill's hand trembled as he raised a match to his cigar.
Pryor was on his feet again, handsome Pryor, with a college
education.
"What does death matter?" he said. "It's as natural to die as it is
to be born, and perhaps the former is the easier event of the two.
We have no remembrance of birth and will carry no remembrance of
death across the bourne from which there is no return. Do you know
what Epictetus said about death, Bill?"
"Wot regiment was 'e in?" asked Bill.
"He has been dead for some eighteen hundred years."
"Oh! blimey!"
"Epictetus said, 'Where death is I am not, where death is not I
am,'" Pryor continued. "Death will give us all a clean sheet. If the
sergeant who issues short rum rations dies on the field of honour
(don't drink all the champagne, Bill) we'll talk of him when he's gone
as a damned good fellow, but alive we've got to borrow epithets
from Bill's vocabulary of vituperation to speak of the aforesaid non-
commissioned abomination."
"Is 'e callin' me names, Pat?" Bill asked me.
I did not answer for the moment, for Bill was undergoing a
strange transformation. His head was increasing in size, swelling up
until it almost filled the entire room. His little potato of a nose
assumed fantastic dimensions. The other occupants of the room
diminished in bulk and receded into far distances. I tried to attract
Pryor's attention to the phenomenon, but the youth receding with
the others was now balancing a champagne bottle on his nose,
entirely oblivious of his surroundings.
"Be quiet, Bill," I said, speaking with difficulty. "Hold your
tongue!"
I began to feel drowsy, but another mouthful of champagne
renewed vitality in my body. With this feeling came a certain
indifference towards the morrow. I must confess that up to now I
had a vague distrust of my actions in the work ahead. My normal
self revolted at the thought of the coming dawn; the experiences of
my life had not prepared me for one day of savage and ruthless
butchery. To-morrow I had to go forth prepared to do much that I
disliked.... I had another sip of wine; we were at the last bottle now.
Pryor looked out of the window, raising the blind so that little
light shone out into the darkness.
"A Scottish division are passing through the street, in silence,
their kilts swinging," he said. "My God! it does look fine." He
arranged the blind again and sat down. Bill was cutting a sultana
cake in neat portions and handing them round.
"Come, Felan, and sing a song," said M'Crone.
"My voice is no good now," said Felan, but by his way of
speaking, we knew that he would oblige.
"Now, Felan, come along!" we chorused.
Felan wiped his lips with the back of his hand, took a cigar
between his fingers and thumb and put it out by rubbing the lighted
end against his trousers. Then he placed the cigar behind his ear.
"Well, what will I sing?" he asked.
"Any damned thing," said Bill.
"'The Trumpeter,' and we'll all help," said Kore.
Felan leant against the wall, thrust his head back, closed his
eyes, stuck the thumb of his right hand into a buttonhole of his tunic
and began his song.
His voice, rather hoarse, but very pleasant, faltered a little at
first, but was gradually permeated by a note of deepest feeling, and
a strange, unwonted passion surged through the melody. Felan was
pouring his soul into the song. A moment ago the singer was one
with us; now he gave himself up to the song, and the whole lonely
romance of war, its pity and its pain, swept through the building and
held us in its spell. Kore's mobile nostrils quivered. M'Crone shook as
if with ague. We all listened, enraptured, our eyes shut as the
singer's were, to the voice that quivered through the smoky room. I
could not help feeling that Felan himself listened to his own song, as
something which was no part of him, but which affected him
strangely.
"'Trumpeter, what are you sounding now?
Is it the call I'm seeking?'
'Lucky for you if you hear it all
For my trumpet's but faintly speaking—
I'm calling 'em home. Come home! Come home!
Tread light o'er the dead in the valley,
Who are lying around
Face down to the ground,
And they can't hear——'"

Felan broke down suddenly, and, coming across the floor, he


entered the circle and sat down.
"'Twas too high for me," he muttered huskily. "My voice has gone
to the dogs.... One time——"
Then he relapsed into silence. None of us spoke, but we were
aware that Felan knew how much his song had moved us.
"Have another drink," said Pryor suddenly, in a thick voice. "'Look
not upon the wine when it is red,'" he quoted. "But there'll be
something redder than wine to-morrow!"
"I wish we fought wiv bladders on sticks; it would be more to my
taste," said Bill Teake.
"Ye're not having a drop at all, corporal," said M'Crone. "Have a
sup; it's grand stuff."
The corporal shook his head. He sat on the floor with his back
against the wall, his hands under his thighs. He had a blunt nose
with wide nostrils, and his grey, contemplative eyes kept roving
slowly round the circle as if he were puzzling over our fate in the
charge to-morrow.
"I don't drink," he said. "If I can't do without it now after keeping
off it so long, I'm not much good."
"Yer don't know wot's good for yer," said Bill, gazing regretfully at
the last half-bottle. "There's nuffink like fizz. My ole man's a devil fer
'is suds; so'm I."
The conversation became riotous, questions and replies got
mixed and jumbled. "I suppose we'll get to the front trench anyhow;
maybe to the second. But we'll get flung back from that." "Wish
we'd another bloomin' bottle of fizz." "S'pose our guns will not lift
their range quick enough when we advance. We'll have any amount
of casualties with our own shells." "The sergeant says that our
objective is the crucifix in Loos churchyard." "Imagine killing men
right up to the foot of the Cross." ...
Our red-headed platoon sergeant appeared at the top of the
stairs, his hair lurid in the candle light.
"Enjoying yourselves, boys?" he asked, with paternal solicitude.
The sergeant's heart was in his platoon.
"'Avin' a bit of a frisky," said Bill. "Will yer 'ave a drop?"
"I don't mind," said the sergeant. He spoke almost in a whisper,
and something seemed to be gripping at his throat.
He put the bottle to his lips and paused for a moment.
"Good luck to us all!" he said, and drank.
"We're due to leave in fifteen minutes," he told us. "Be ready
when you hear the whistle blown in the street. Have a smoke now,
for no pipes or cigarettes are to be lit on the march."
He paused for a moment, then, wiping his moustache with the
back of his hand, he clattered downstairs.
The night was calm and full of enchantment. The sky hung low
and was covered with a greyish haze. We marched past Les Brebis
Church up a long street where most of the houses were levelled to
the ground. Ahead the star-shells rioted in a blaze of colour, and a
few rifles were snapping viciously out by Hohenzollern Redoubt, and
a building on fire flared lurid against the eastern sky. Apart from that
silence and suspense, the world waited breathlessly for some great
event. The big guns lurked on their emplacements, and now and
again we passed a dark-blue muzzle peeping out from its cover,
sentinel, as it seemed, over the neatly piled stack of shells which
would furnish it with its feed at dawn.
At the fringe of Bully-Grenay we left the road and followed a
straggling path across the level fields where telephone wires had
fallen down and lay in wait to trip unwary feet. Always the whispers
were coming down the line: "Mind the wires!" "Mind the shell-holes!"
"Gunpit on the left. Keep clear." "Mind the dead mule on the right,"
etc.
Again we got to the road where it runs into the village of Maroc.
A church stood at the entrance and it was in a wonderful state of
preservation. Just as we halted for a moment on the roadway the
enemy sent a solitary shell across which struck the steeple squarely,
turning it round, but failing to overthrow it.
"A damned good shot," said Pryor approvingly.
CHAPTER V
Over the Top
Was it only yesterday
Lusty comrades marched away?
Now they're covered up with clay.
Hearty comrades these have been,
But no more will they be seen
Drinking wine at Nouex-les-Mines.

A brazier glowed on the floor of the trench and I saw fantastic


figures in the red blaze; the interior of a vast church lit up with a
myriad candles, and dark figures kneeling in prayer in front of their
plaster saints. The edifice was an enchanted Fairyland, a poem of
striking contrasts in light and shade. I peered over the top. The air
blazed with star-shells, and Loos in front stood out like a splendid
dawn. A row of impassive faces, sleep-heavy they looked, lined our
parapet; bayonets, silver-spired, stood up over the sandbags; the
dark bays, the recessed dug-outs with their khaki-clad occupants
dimly defined in the light of little candles took on fantastic shapes.
From the North Sea to the Alps stretched a line of men who
could, if they so desired, clasp one another's hands all the way
along. A joke which makes men laugh at Ypres at dawn may be told
on sentry-go at Souchez by dusk, and the laugh which accompanies
it ripples through the long, deep trenches of Cuinchy, the
breastworks of Richebourg and the chalk alleys of Vermelles until it
breaks itself like a summer wave against the traverse where England
ends and France begins.
Many of our men were asleep, and maybe dreaming. What were
their dreams?... I could hear faint, indescribable rustlings as the
winds loitered across the levels in front; a light shrapnel shell burst,
and its smoke quivered in the radiant light of the star-shells.
Showers and sparks fell from high up and died away as they fell.
Like lives of men, I thought, and again that feeling of proximity to
the enemy surged through me.
A boy came along the trench carrying a football under his arm.
"What are you going to do with that?" I asked.
"It's some idea, this," he said with a laugh. "We're going to kick it
across into the German trench."
"It is some idea," I said. "What are our chances of victory in the
game?"
"The playing will tell," he answered enigmatically. "It's about four
o'clock now," he added, paused and became thoughtful. The
mention of the hour suggested something to him....
I could now hear the scattered crackling of guns as they called to
one another saying: "It's time to be up and doing!" The brazen
monsters of many a secret emplacement were registering their
range, rivalry in their voices. For a little the cock-crowing of artillery
went on, then suddenly a thousand roosts became alive and voluble,
each losing its own particular sound as all united in one grand
concert of fury. The orchestra of war swelled in an incessant fanfare
of dizzy harmony. Floating, stuttering, whistling, screaming and
thundering the clamorous voices belched into a rich gamut of
passion which shook the grey heavens. The sharp, zigzagging
sounds of high velocity shells cut through the pandemonium like
forked lightning, and far away, as it seemed, sounding like a distant
breakwater the big missiles from caterpillar howitzers lumbered
through the higher deeps of the sky. The brazen lips of death
cajoled, threatened, whispered, whistled, laughed and sung: here
were the sinister and sullen voices of destruction, the sublime and
stupendous pæan of power intermixed in sonorous clamour and
magnificent vibration.
Felan came out into the trench. He had been asleep in his dug-
out. "I can't make tea now," he said, fumbling with his mess-tin.
"We'll soon have to get over the top. Murdagh, Nobby Byrne and
Corporal Clancy are here," he remarked.
"They are in hospital," I said.
"They were," said Felan; "but the hospitals have been cleared out
to make room for men wounded in the charge. The three boys were
ordered to go further back to be out of the way, but they asked to
be allowed to join in the charge, and they are here now."
He paused for a moment. "Good luck to you, Pat," he said with a
strange catch in his voice. "I hope you get through all right."
A heavy rifle fire was opened by the Germans and the bullets
snapped viciously at our sandbags. Such little things bullets seemed
in the midst of all the pandemonium! But bigger stuff was coming.
Twenty yards away a shell dropped on a dug-out and sandbags and
occupants whirled up in mid-air. The call for stretcher-bearers came
to my bay, and I rushed round the traverse towards the spot where
help was required accompanied by two others. A shrapnel shell burst
overhead and the man in front of me fell. I bent to lift him, but he
stumbled to his feet. The concussion had knocked him down; he was
little the worse for his accident, but he felt a bit shaken. The other
stretcher-bearer was bleeding at the cheek and temple, and I took
him back to a sound dug-out and dressed his wound. He was in
great pain, but very brave, and when another stricken boy came in
he set about dressing him. I went outside into the trench. A perfect
hurricane of shells was coming across, concussion shells that whirled
the sandbags broadcast and shrapnel that burst high in air and shot
their freight to earth with resistless precipitancy; bombs whirled in
air and burst when they found earth with an ear-splitting clatter.
"Out in the open!" I muttered and tried not to think too clearly of
what would happen when we got out there.
It was now grey day, hazy and moist, and the thick clouds of pale
yellow smoke curled high in space and curtained the dawn off from
the scene of war. The word was passed along. "London Irish lead on
to assembly trench." The assembly trench was in front, and there
the scaling ladders were placed against the parapet, ready steps to
death, as someone remarked. I had a view of the men swarming up
the ladders when I got there, their bayonets held in steady hands,
and at a little distance off a football swinging by its whang from a
bayonet standard.
The company were soon out in the open marching forward. The
enemy's guns were busy, and the rifle and maxim bullets ripped the
sandbags. The infantry fire was wild but of slight intensity. The
enemy could not see the attacking party. But, judging by the row, it
was hard to think that men could weather the leaden storm in the
open.
The big guns were not so vehement now, our artillery had no
doubt played havoc with the hostile batteries.... I went to the foot of
a ladder and got hold of a rung. A soldier in front was clambering
across. Suddenly he dropped backwards and bore me to the ground;
the bullet caught him in the forehead. I got to my feet to find a
stranger in grey uniform coming down the ladder. He reached the
floor of the trench, put up his hands when I looked at him and cried
in a weak, imploring voice, "Kamerad! Kamerad!"
"A German!" I said to my mate.
"H'm! h'm!" he answered.
I flung my stretcher over the parapet, and, followed by my
comrade stretcher-bearer, I clambered up the ladder and went over
the top.
CHAPTER VI
Across the Open
"The firefly lamps were lighted yet,
As we crossed the top of the parapet,
But the East grew pale to another fire,
As our bayonets gleamed by the foeman's wire.
And the Eastern sky was gold and grey,
And under our feet the dead men lay,
As we entered Loos in the morning."

The moment had come when it was unwise to think. The country
round Loos was like a sponge; the god of war had stamped with his
foot on it, and thousands of men, armed, ready to kill, were squirted
out on to the level, barren fields of danger. To dwell for a moment
on the novel position of being standing where a thousand deaths
swept by, missing you by a mere hair's breadth, would be sheer folly.
There on the open field of death my life was out of my keeping, but
the sensation of fear never entered my being. There was so much
simplicity and so little effort in doing what I had done, in doing what
eight hundred comrades had done, that I felt I could carry through
the work before me with as much credit as my code of self respect
required. The maxims went crackle like dry brushwood under the
feet of a marching host. A bullet passed very close to my face like a
sharp, sudden breath; a second hit the ground in front, flicked up a
little shower of dust, and ricochetted to the left, hitting the earth
many times before it found a resting place. The air was vicious with
bullets; a million invisible birds flicked their wings very close to my
face. Ahead the clouds of smoke, sluggish low-lying fog, and fumes
of bursting shells, thick in volume, receded towards the German
trenches, and formed a striking background for the soldiers who
were marching up a low slope towards the enemy's parapet, which
the smoke still hid from view. There was no haste in the forward
move, every step was taken with regimental precision, and twice on
the way across the Irish boys halted for a moment to correct their
alignment. Only at a point on the right there was some confusion
and a little irregularity. Were the men wavering? No fear! The boys
on the right were dribbling the elusive football towards the German
trench.
Raising the stretcher, my mate and I went forward. For the next
few minutes I was conscious of many things. A slight rain was
falling; the smoke and fumes I saw had drifted back, exposing a
dark streak on the field of green, the enemy's trench. A little
distance away from me three men hurried forward, and two of them
carried a box of rifle ammunition. One of the bearers fell flat to
earth, his two mates halted for a moment, looked at the stricken
boy, and seemed to puzzle at something. Then they caught hold of
the box hangers and rushed forward. The man on the ground raised
himself on his elbow and looked after his mates, then sank down
again to the wet ground. Another soldier came crawling towards us
on his belly, looking for all the world like a gigantic lobster which had
escaped from its basket. His lower lip was cut clean to the chin and
hanging apart; blood welled through the muddy khaki trousers
where they covered the hips.
I recognised the fellow.
"Much hurt, matey?" I asked.
"I'll manage to get in," he said.
"Shall I put a dressing on?" I inquired.
"I'll manage to get into our own trench," he stammered, spitting
the blood from his lips. "There are others out at the wires. S—— has
caught it bad. Try and get him in, Pat."
"Right, old man," I said, as he crawled off. "Good luck."
My cap was blown off my head as if by a violent gust of wind,
and it dropped on the ground. I put it on again, and at that moment
a shell burst near at hand and a dozen splinters sung by my ear. I
walked forward with a steady step.
"What took my cap off?" I asked myself. "It went away just as if
it was caught in a breeze. God!" I muttered, in a burst of realisation,
"it was that shell passing." I breathed very deeply, my blood rushed
down to my toes and an airy sensation filled my body. Then the
stretcher dragged.
"Lift the damned thing up," I called to my mate over my
shoulder. There was no reply. I looked round to find him gone, either
mixed up in a whooping rush of kilted Highlanders, who had lost
their objective and were now charging parallel to their own trench,
or perhaps he got killed.... How strange that the Highlanders could
not charge in silence, I thought, and then recollected that most of
my boyhood friends, Donegal lads, were in Scottish regiments.... I
placed my stretcher on my shoulder, walked forward towards a bank
of smoke which seemed to be standing stationary, and came across
our platoon sergeant and part of his company.
"Are we going wrong, or are the Jocks wrong?" he asked his
men, then shouted, "Lie flat, boys, for a minute, until we see where
we are. There's a big crucifix in Loos churchyard, and we've got to
draw on that."
The men threw themselves flat; the sergeant went down on one
knee and leant forward on his rifle, his hands on the bayonet
standard, the fingers pointing upwards and the palms pressed close
to the sword which was covered with rust.... How hard it would be
to draw it from a dead body!... The sergeant seemed to be kneeling
in prayer.... In front the cloud cleared away, and the black crucifix
standing over the graves of Loos became revealed.
"Advance, boys!" said the sergeant. "Steady on to the foot of the
Cross and rip the swine out of their trenches."
The Irish went forward....
A boy sat on the ground bleeding at the shoulder and knee.
"You've got hit," I said.
"In a few places," he answered, in a very matter-of-fact voice. "I
want to get into a shell-hole."
"I'll try and get you into one," I said. "But I want someone to
help me. Hi! you there! Come and give me a hand."
I spoke to a man who sat on the rim of a crater near at hand. His
eyes, set close in a white, ghastly face, stared tensely at me. He sat
in a crouching position, his head thrust forward, his right hand
gripping tightly at a mud-stained rifle. Presumably he was a bit
shaken and was afraid to advance further.
"Help me to get this fellow into a shell-hole," I called. "He can't
move."
There was no answer.
"Come along," I cried, and then it was suddenly borne to me that
the man was dead. I dragged the wounded boy into the crater and
dressed his wounds.
A shell struck the ground in front, burrowed, and failed to
explode.
"Thank Heaven!" I muttered, and hurried ahead. Men and pieces
of men were lying all over the place. A leg, an arm, then again a leg,
cut off at the hip. A finely formed leg, the latter, gracefully putteed.
A dummy leg in a tailor's window could not be more graceful. It
might be X; he was an artist in dress, a Beau Brummel in khaki. Fifty
yards further along I found the rest of X....
The harrowing sight was repellent, antagonistic to my mind. The
tortured things lying at my feet were symbols of insecurity, ominous
reminders of danger from which no discretion could save a man. My
soul was barren of pity; fear went down into the innermost parts of
me, fear for myself. The dead and dying lay all around me; I felt a
vague obligation to the latter; they must be carried out. But why
should I trouble! Where could I begin? Everything was so far apart. I
was too puny to start my labours in such a derelict world. The
difficulty of accommodating myself to an old task under new
conditions was enormous.
A figure in grey, a massive block of Bavarian bone and muscle,
came running towards me, his arms in air, and Bill Teake following
him with a long bayonet.
"A prisoner!" yelled the boy on seeing me. "'Kamerad! Kamerad!'
'e shouted when I came up. Blimey! I couldn't stab 'im, so I took 'im
prisoner. It's not 'arf a barney!... Ave yer got a fag ter spare?"
The Cockney came to a halt, reached for a cigarette, and lit it.
The German stood still, panting like a dog.
"Double! Fritz, double!" shouted the boy, sending a little puff of
smoke through his nose. "Over to our trench you go! Grease along if
yer don't want a bayonet in your——!"
They rushed off, the German with hands in air, and Bill behind
with his bayonet perilously close to the prisoner. There was
something amusing in the incident, and I could not refrain from
laughing. Then I got a whiff from a German gas-bomb which
exploded near me, and I began spluttering and coughing. The
irritation, only momentary, was succeeded by a strange humour. I
felt as if walking on air, my head got light, and it was with difficulty
that I kept my feet on earth. It would be so easy to rise into space
and float away. The sensation was a delightful one; I felt so pleased
with myself, with everything. A wounded man lay on the ground,
clawing the earth with frenzied fingers. In a vague way, I
remembered some ancient law which ordained me to assist a
stricken man. But I could not do so now, the action would clog my
buoyancy and that delightful feeling of freedom which permeated my
being. Another soldier whom I recognised, even at a distance, by his
pink-and-white bald pate, so often a subject for our jokes, reeled
over the bloodstained earth, his eyes almost bursting from their
sockets.
"You look bad," I said to him with a smile.
He stared at me drunkenly, but did not answer.
A man, mother-naked, raced round in a circle, laughing
boisterously. The rags that would class him as a friend or foe were
gone, and I could not tell whether he was an Englishman or a
German. As I watched him an impartial bullet went through his
forehead, and he fell headlong to the earth. The sight sobered me
and I regained my normal self.
Up near the German wire I found our Company postman sitting
in a shell-hole, a bullet in his leg below the knee, and an unlighted
cigarette in his mouth.
"You're the man I want," he shouted, on seeing me. And I
fumbled in my haversack for bandages.
"No dressing for me, yet," he said with a smile. "There are others
needing help more than I. What I want is a match."
As I handed him my match box a big high explosive shell flew
over our heads and dropped fifty yards away in a little hollow where
seven or eight figures in khaki lay prostrate, faces to the ground.
The shell burst and the wounded and dead rose slowly into air to a
height of six or seven yards and dropped slowly again, looking for all
the world like puppets worked by wires.
"This," said the postman, who had observed the incident, "is a
solution of a question which diplomacy could not settle, I suppose.
The last argument of kings is a damned sorry business."
By the German barbed wire entanglements were the shambles of
war. Here our men were seen by the enemy for the first time that
morning. Up till then the foe had fired erratically through the
oncoming curtain of smoke; but when the cloud cleared away, the
attackers were seen advancing, picking their way through the wires
which had been cut to little pieces by our bombardment. The Irish
were now met with harrying rifle fire, deadly petrol bombs and hand
grenades. Here I came across dead, dying and sorely wounded; lives
maimed and finished, and all the romance and roving that makes up
the life of a soldier gone for ever. Here, too, I saw, bullet-riddled,
against one of the spider webs known as chevaux de frise, a limp
lump of pliable leather, the football which the boys had kicked across
the field.
I came across Flannery lying close to a barbed wire support, one
arm round it as if in embrace. He was a clumsily built fellow, with
queer bushy eyebrows and a short, squat nose. His bearing was
never soldierly, but on a march he could bear any burden and stick
the job when more alert men fell out. He always bore himself
however with a certain grace, due, perhaps, to a placid belief in his
own strength. He never made friends; a being apart, he led a
solitary life. Now he lay close to earth hugging an entanglement
prop, and dying.
There was something savage in the expression of his face as he
looked slowly round, like an ox under a yoke, on my approach. I
knelt down beside him and cut his tunic with my scissors where a
burnt hole clotted with blood showed under the kidney. A splinter of
shell had torn part of the man's side away. All hope was lost for the
poor soul.
"In much pain, chummy?" I asked.
"Ah, Christ! yes, Pat," he answered. "Wife and two kiddies, too.
Are we getting the best of it?"
I did not know how the fight was progressing, but I had seen a
line of bayonets drawing near to the second trench out by Loos.
"Winning all along," I answered.
"That's good," he said. "Is there any hope for me?"
"Of course there is, matey," I lied. "You have two of these
morphia tablets and lie quiet. We'll take you in after a while, and
you'll be back in England in two or three days' time."
I placed the morphia under his tongue and he closed his eyes as
if going to sleep. Then, with an effort, he tried to get up and gripped
the wire support with such vigour that it came clean out of the
ground. His legs shot out from under him, and, muttering something
about rations being fit for pigs and not for men, he fell back and
died.
The fighting was not over in the front trench yet, the first two
companies had gone ahead, the other two companies were taking
possession here. A sturdy Bavarian in shirt and pants was standing
on a banquette with his bayonet over the parapet, and a determined
look in his eyes. He had already done for two of our men as they
tried to cross, but now his rifle seemed to be unloaded and he
waited. Standing there amidst his dead countrymen he formed a
striking figure. A bullet from one of our rifles would have ended his
career speedily, but no one seemed to want to fire that shot. There
was a moment of suspense, broken only when the monstrous futility
of resistance became apparent to him, and he threw down his rifle
and put up his hands, shouting "Kamerad! Kamerad!" I don't know
what became of him afterwards, other events claimed my attention.
Four boys rushed up, panting under the machine gun and
ammunition belts which they carried. One got hit and fell to the
ground, the maxim tripod which he carried fell on top of him. The
remainder of the party came to a halt.
"Lift the tripod and come along," his mates shouted to one
another.
"Who's goin' to carry it?" asked a little fellow with a box of
ammunition.
"You," came the answer.
"Some other one must carry it," said the little fellow. "I've the
heaviest burden."
"You've not," one answered. "Get the blurry thing on your
shoulder."
"Blurry yourself!" said the little fellow. "Someone else carry the
thing. Marney can carry it?"
"I'm not a damned fool!" said Marney. "It can stick there 'fore I
take it across."
"Not much good goin' over without it," said the little fellow.
I left them there wrangling: the extra weight would have made
no appreciable difference to any of them.
It was interesting to see how the events of the morning had
changed the nature of the boys. Mild-mannered youths who had
spent their working hours of civil life in scratching with inky pens on
white paper, and their hours of relaxation in cutting capers on roller
skates and helping dainty maidens to teas and ices, became
possessed of mad Berserker rage and ungovernable fury. Now that
their work was war the bloodstained bayonet gave them play in
which they seemed to glory.
"Here's one that I've just done in," I heard M'Crone shout,
looking approvingly at a dead German. "That's five of the bloody
swine now."
M'Crone's mother never sends her son any money lest he gets
into the evil habit of smoking cigarettes. He is of a religious turn of
mind and delights in singing hymns, his favourite being, "There is a
green hill far away." I never heard him swear before, but at Loos his
language would make a navvy in a Saturday night taproom green
with envy. M'Crone was not lacking in courage. I have seen him wait
for death with untroubled front in a shell-harried trench, and now,
inflicting pain on others, he was a fiend personified; such
transformations are of common occurrence on the field of honour.
The German trench had suffered severely from our fire; parapets
were blown in, and at places the trench was full to the level of the
ground with sandbags and earth. Wreckage was strewn all over the
place, rifles, twisted distortions of shapeless metal, caught by high-
velocity shells, machine guns smashed to atoms, bomb-proof
shelters broken to pieces like houses of cards; giants had been at
work of destruction in a delicately fashioned nursery.
On the reverse slope of the parapet broken tins, rusty swords,
muddy equipments, wicked-looking coils of barbed wire, and
discarded articles of clothing were scattered about pell-mell. I
noticed an unexploded shell perched on a sandbag, cocking a perky
nose in air, and beside it was a battered helmet, the brass glory of
its regal eagle dimmed with trench mud and wrecked with many a
bullet....
I had a clear personal impression of man's ingenuity for
destruction when my eyes looked on the German front line where
our dead lay in peace with their fallen enemies on the parapet. At
the bottom of the trench the dead lay thick, and our boys, engaged
in building a new parapet, were heaping the sandbags on the dead
men and consolidating the captured position.
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