Ignite the Light of Wisdom | BOSON AI Starter kit for microbit:bit

Suppose you are exploring in the wild and suddenly lose your way. Your phone has no signal, and it's getting dark. You need to send a distress signal to rescuers in the distance—what should you do?

In real life, humans have invented many ways to send distress signals, such as smoke, flag signals, sound, and light signals. Among them, SOS is an internationally recognized distress signal, consisting of "... --- ..." in Morse code. It can be transmitted via radio, lights, Morse code, and other means to help people communicate their need for help in critical situations.

In this lesson, we will use an RGB LED, a common electronic component, and simulate an emergency SOS signal by controlling the RGB light to flash in the SOS pattern using a button.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand neurons and neural networks.

2. Understand how Morse code is implemented in real-life applications.

3. Be able to simulate an SOS signal using an RGB LED to convey an emergency distress message.

Preparation

Learning Content

1. Understand neurons and neural networks.

A neuron, also known as a nerve cell, is one of the structural and functional units of the nervous system. Neurons can sense changes in the environment, transmit information to other neurons, and coordinate the body's response. Neurons make up about half of the nervous system; the rest is primarily composed of glial cells. A typical neuron consists of dendrites, an axon, a myelin sheath, and a nucleus.Neurons transmit signals in the form of electrical currents. At the end of the axon are receptors, which use chemical substances known as neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and acetylcholine) to pass the signal to the next neuron across a synapse. When the amount of neurotransmitter is sufficient, an electrical signal is generated in the next neuron, allowing the message to be passed along.

The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons, among which around 70 billion are cerebellar granule cells.

Biological Neural Networks refer to the complex networks formed by biological neurons, cells, and synapses. These networks are responsible for generating consciousness, and they enable organisms to think, perceive, and act.

A simple definition of human learning:

Human learning is the process by which a person uses past experiences to understand a certain type of problem or summarize patterns, and then applies that knowledge to make judgments about new situations.

A simple definition of machine learning:

Machine learning refers to the process in which a computer uses algorithms to build a suitable model based on known data and then uses this model to make predictions or judgments about new situations.

2. Understand Morse code.

Morse code is a system of signals made up of short and long pulses, arranged in different sequences to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. It was invented in 1836 by American inventors Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse.

In Morse code:

· A “.” (dot) lasts for 1 unit of time.

· A “_” (dash) lasts for 3 units of time.

· The pause between dots and dashes within a character is 1 unit.

· The pause between characters is 3 units.

· The pause between words is 7 units.

3. Demonstration of sending an SOS distress signal

Analysis of the SOS Distress Signal

SOS is the current internationally recognized Morse code distress signal, represented as ... --- .... The Morse code for the letters S, O, and S are “...”, “---”, and “...”, respectively. These are pronounced as “di-di-di”, “dah-dah-dah”, “di-di-di”, which means three short tones, three long tones, and three short tones.The SOS signal is extremely simple and clear, making it easy for even untrained individuals to send or recognize using available tools or devices.

If we convert the SOS signal into button module voltage levels, the high and low signals would appear as shown in the diagram below.

Learning the SOS Distress Signal

Connect the button module to the input of the single neuron module, and connect the output of the single neuron module to the P0 pin of the extension board, as shown in the diagram below. After the modules are successfully connected, power the extension board using a USB cable.

Press and hold the learning button on the single neuron module. When the learning indicator light (blue light) turns on, you can start the SOS distress signal learning process by pressing the button module in the following sequence:

· Three short presses

· Three long presses

· Three short presses

However, it is important to note that the learning duration must be kept within 10 seconds.

SOS Distress Signal Validation

After successfully learning the distress signal, validate the signal by pressing the button module in the following sequence: three short presses, three long presses, and three short presses. When the indicator light on the output terminal turns white, it means that the signal verification has been successful.

Project Practice

This project aims to simulate the SOS emergency distress signal by programming the flashing of an RGB light. Students will learn how to combine button inputs with the NeurOne Module to control the activation and deactivation of the distress signal, thereby creating a simple emergency signal system.

Task 1: Control the RGB light to simulate the SOS distress signal

By understanding the rules of Morse code, students will learn how to program the RGB light's flashing pattern to match the standard SOS signal (...---...).

Task 2: Button input and NeurOne Module control of the SOS signal

When the button input matches the trained distress signal, the RGB light will begin flashing the SOS distress signal.

Task 1：Control the RGB light to simulate the SOS distress signal

Hardware connection

Program Design

Function instruction

Press the A button on the micro:bit mainboard to control the RGB light connected to P8 pin. The RGB light will then follow the SOS flashing pattern: 3 short flashes, 3 long flashes, and 3 short flashes.

Flowchart Analysis

Sample program

Operating Effect

Press the A button on the microbit main controller. The RGB light will first blink three short flashes, wait for 1 second, then blink three long flashes, wait for 1 second again, and finally blink three short flashes before turning off the RGB light completely.

Task 2: Button input and NeurOne Module control of the SOS signal

Hardware connection

Program Design

Function instruction

When the button inputs the SOS distress signal (P0 pin receives a digital signal of 1), the RGB light strip connected to the P8 pin will output the corresponding SOS distress signal.

Flowchart Analysis

Sample program

Operating Effect

By pressing the button to input the pre-learned SOS signal, when the input is correct, the RGB light will display the corresponding SOS distress light signal.

Shape Construction

atures can be added, such as:

1. Adding sound feedback: By integrating a buzzer module, you can add sound effects to simulate a more realistic distress signal.

2. Signal validation functionality: After the signal input, a validation mechanism can be added. If the input is correct, the RGB light will display a green success indicator; if the input is incorrect, it will display a red error indicator.