Whenever I find myself in a room full of students, this one always one of their favorite things to learn about. Sadly, it’s also one of the few subjects not usually taught, and if you’re lucky enough to have a program or teacher that does, it’s usually pretty expensive or too advanced to participate.
The happy news is that I’ve put together a pretty thorough electronics and robotics course that takes kids from the complete basics on through what real scientists are using today in their very own labs. Your kids will soar through these projects with ease and competence, because they’ve been designed to give your students a truly successful learning experience. Even if you don’t understand a thing about electricity, you can soon have your very own robot zooming around the house in less time than it takes to burn toast.
Since there’s already a lot of great information out there about robots, the different kinds of robots and control systems, we’re primarily focusing for this badge on the hard stuff: how to build the robot, sensors, and the electronics behind it.
This particular badge isn’t one you’re going to complete overnight… you need about a month to work through this entire robotics learning experience to get the most out of it. Kids that work their way through this badge will have an above-average in-depth understanding that will set them up for long-term success in high school, college, and beyond. Kids that complete these steps (in the order listed below) not only learn how to build a robot, but how how the circuitry works, how to choose electronics components, the technical thought process that goes into making a robot to complete any task, and get a real solid taste of what a robot engineer working in the mechatronics field is really like. You’ll also build a couple of extra robots and circuits along the way, and that’s just cool.
But if you’re in a rush and just want the badge, you can certainly jump down to the very bottom where the Arduino Robots are listed and start there. You won’t learn about robots as much by skipping ahead, but if your goal is to just build the thing and get it over with, then you can order the kit, watch the build instructions on video, and finish it in a weekend.
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