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Lesson 13: Complete Mars Rover Control

You’ve mastered all the pieces - now let’s put them together! Combine everything you’ve learned to create your fully functional Mars Rover with live camera view, movement controls, and camera tilt.

Bring together three amazing systems:

The result? Complete control of your GalaxyRVR! Click buttons for camera controls and use arrow keys to drive.

../_images/13_camera_go_all2.png

Camera System

Repeat the camera setup from your previous lesson: Exploring Your Rover’s Camera System.

  1. Create four control sprites and arrange them neatly.

    ../_images/11_camera_4.png

  2. Program each button’s function:

    • Ball 1: Camera OFF

    ../_images/11_camera_1sp.png

    • Ball 2: Camera ON with correct orientation

    ../_images/11_camera_2sp.png

    • Balloon 1: LED light ON

    ../_images/11_camera_3sp.png

    • Balloon 2: LED light OFF

    ../_images/11_camera_4sp.png

  3. Stack the controls to save space - they’ll unfold when you need them!

    ../_images/11_camera_fold.png

  4. Add go to back layer to create a cool toggle effect between buttons.

    ../_images/11_camera_layer.png

Movement & Lighting System

Let’s add colorful lights to your rover’s movements! We have already coded these in the GalaxyRVR Signal Lights in Action section.

We recommend placing this code in the Backdrops section - this keeps it separate from your sprite code and makes everything more organized.

../_images/13.ccc_code_in_stage.png

  1. Make your rover glow GREEN when moving forward.

    ../_images/13.ccc_light_forward.png

  2. Make your rover glow RED when moving backward.

    ../_images/13.ccc_light_backfwd.png

  3. Make your rover glow YELLOW when turning left or right.

    ../_images/13.ccc_light_left_right.png

  4. Create a breathing blue light effect when your rover is stopped.

    ../_images/13.ccc_light_breath.png

Your complete backdrop code should look like this:

../_images/11_camera_backdrops.png

Camera Tilt Control

Let’s add camera controls! This part is the same as the Touch Control for Camera Angle. Simply repeat the steps.

  1. Add an Arrow sprite to control your camera’s tilt.

    ../_images/10_servo_arrow.png

  2. Start with a when this sprite clicked block.

    ../_images/6_animate_when_touch.png

  3. Create a loop that runs while you’re touching the arrow.

    ../_images/6_animate_repeat_touching.png

  4. Make the arrow point toward your finger as you drag.

    ../_images/10_servo_arrow_point_toward.png

  5. Connect the arrow’s direction to the camera angle - rotate the arrow to move the camera!

    ../_images/10_servo_arrow_angle_direction.png

  6. Set limits to keep the camera between 0-135 degrees.

    ../_images/10_servo_arrow_135.png ../_images/10_servo_arrow_0.png

Touch and drag the arrow to aim your rover’s camera! Make the arrow bigger if it’s hard to control.

Complete Control of Your GalaxyRVR

Now you have full control of your Mars Rover! Here’s how to operate your complete GalaxyRVR:

../_images/13_camera_go_all2.png

Control Your Rover:

  • Use the arrow keys to drive forward, backward, and turn

  • Click the Ball sprites to turn the live camera video on and off

  • Click the Balloon sprites to control the camera LED light on and off

  • Drag the arrow sprite to tilt the camera up and down

Test All Features Together:

  • Drive around while watching the live camera feed from your rover

  • Notice the colored lights that signal each movement

  • Practice tilting the camera to look at objects from different angles

  • Try exploring in both bright and dark conditions using the LED light

Congratulations! You have successfully combined all the systems to create a fully functional Mars Rover. You’ve learned how to program movement, lighting, camera controls, and tilt mechanisms - all the skills needed to operate a real exploration robot.

Your Mars mission is now ready to begin. Happy exploring!