Robotics

Biorobotics: Machines Among Us

Grades 2nd To 4th – Not Offered Spring 2019

Join us as we explore the intersection of nature’s creatures and robotics! The field of Biorobotics focuses on robots that emulate or simulate living biological organisms. In this hands-on class kids tinker to produce a series of mechanized contraptions ranging from robotic hands to real programmable robots using LEGO WeDo! Students learn about the hardware and coding that’s required to create machines that model living and breathing beings. Kids also explore their creative side with robot-themed craft activities that relate to complex robotics concepts. Note: At the end of class kids take home their DIY robots but do not take home projects involving LEGO WeDo.

Additional topics include:
• Gears in nature
• Pollinating drones
• Photosensitivity / light sensors
• Motors / Gears

mBot Robotics

Grades 5th To 7th

Join the growing maker culture in this advanced robotics class. Kids move beyond LEGO and build a real robot – a robot called “mBot” that they take home to keep for further exploration! This class starts with an introduction to electronics hardware including an Arduino compatible microcontroller with integrated motor driver, a buzzer, and an infrared LED sensor. As the class progresses students build their robots from the ground up while learning how to program the “brains” of their machines using a coding language similar to Scratch (or for advanced coders the Arduino IDE). By the end of the semester, each child takes home an autonomous roving vehicle that can navigate around obstacles and provide countless hours of enjoyment and further learning.

Additional topics include:
• Logic
• Problem solving
• Electronics
• Programming
• Motors / Gears / Sensors