Lesson 19 - Continuous Directional Motion

Learning Objective

• Command directional movements using move_forward(), move_backward(), turn_left(), and turn_right().
• Understand blocking duration execution versus non-blocking continuous motion.
• Halt all motor motion immediately using bot.stop() and query motion state via bot.is_moving().

Introduction

Basic robot navigation relies on sending velocity commands to drive motors. The BonicBot class provides high-level directional helper methods that simplify driving forward, reversing, and turning.

This lesson details continuous velocity control, speed limits, and blocking duration parameters.

Code

import time
from bonicbot_bridge import BonicBot
 
with BonicBot(host="192.168.29.52") as bot:
 
    print("1. Driving forward at 1 m/s for 4 seconds (Blocking)...")
    # Passing duration makes the method wait 2 seconds before continuing
    bot.move_forward(speed=1, duration=4.0)
    
    time.sleep(1)
 		
    print("2. Turning left  for 2 seconds...")
    bot.turn_left(speed=45, duration=2)
    
    time.sleep(1)
   
    
    print("3. Turning Right  for 2 seconds...")
    bot.turn_right(speed=45, duration=2)
    
    time.sleep(1)
    
    print("4. Starting non-blocking backward motion...")
    # Omitting duration starts motion without pausing execution
    bot.move_backward(speed=1,duration=2)
    print("Robot is currently moving:", bot.is_moving())
    time.sleep(1.0)
 
    print("5. Stopping robot immediately...")
    bot.stop()
    print("Robot is currently moving:", bot.is_moving())

[!NOTE] Before running the code, make sure to replace "192.168.29.52" with your BonicBot’s actual IP address.

Expected Output

🤖 Connected to BonicBot at 192.168.29.52:9090
1. Driving forward at 1 m/s for 4 seconds (Blocking)...
2. Turning left  for 2 seconds...
3. Turning Right  for 2 seconds...
4. Starting non-blocking backward motion...
Robot is currently moving: True
5. Stopping robot immediately...
Robot is currently moving: False
🔌 Disconnected from BonicBot

🔧 Under the Hood

def move_forward(self, speed=DEFAULT_LINEAR_SPEED, duration=None):
    return self.motion.move_forward(speed, duration)

Student Challenge

Challenge 1 — Python Only

Write a function calculate_turn_duration(angle_degrees, turn_speed_rad_sec) that calculates how many seconds the robot must turn at turn_speed_rad_sec to rotate through angle_degrees.

import math
 
def calculate_turn_duration(angle_degrees, turn_speed_rad_sec):
    angle_radians = math.radians(angle_degrees)
    return angle_radians / turn_speed_rad_sec
 
duration = calculate_turn_duration(90, 0.5)
print(f"Time required to turn 90° at 0.5 rad/s: {duration:.2f}s")

Challenge 2 — Robot

Program a 4-step square maneuver using move_forward (0.3 m/s for 2s) and turn_left (0.5 rad/s for 3.14s) in a loop, ending with bot.stop().

from bonicbot_bridge import BonicBot
 
with BonicBot(host="192.168.0.188") as bot:
    for side in range(4):
        print(f"Driving side {side + 1}...")
        bot.move_forward(speed=0.3, duration=2.0)
        bot.turn_left(speed=0.5, duration=3.14)
    bot.stop()

Quick Reference

Reflection Questions