About This workshop
This intensive workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to construct and program autonomous robotic systems specifically designed for environmental sensing in challenging environments like Louisiana's swamps and wetlands. Attendees will engage in a full day of hands-on activities, covering everything from selecting appropriate hardware components and assembling a custom chassis to writing MicroPython code for microcontroller control and integrating various sensors for data collection, such as temperature, humidity, and basic water quality parameters. We will also introduce fundamental machine learning concepts to process and interpret the gathered environmental data, enabling intelligent decision-making for the robot's tasks or for deeper analytical insights. By the end of this session, participants will possess the practical skills to develop their own intelligent monitoring solutions, contributing to conservation efforts or personal projects.