Inventors Club - Oct 30, 2013

Students demonstrating some solutions to a design problem.

Fall Inventors Club is underway, and we’ve been having a lot of fun getting back into our school year programs.  We have a full compliment of students this season, and already their creativity and enthusiasm is showing through.  Both the AM and PM groups have had activities these last two weeks to sharpen their making skills, and prepare them for building their own unique creation.

Can you draw the structure so that your partner can rebuild it?

We started by getting some practice with technical drawings, so we can be better equipped to communicate our plans to others.

One self-propelled physics cart.

The morning group also had some time to explore the materials and tools of the workshop.  They took simple carts with wheels, and devised their own unique ways to make them move without being pushed.  They’re now on track to being experts at hacking everyday objects to bend them to their will.

Student-built circuit with scrolling LEDs.

The afternoon students all got to learn how to use Arduino microcontrollers to control a string of LEDs, and even how to add user input to change the way they turn on and off.  This was the start of a 3-session plan to develop confidence in programming microcontrollers in order to expand the possibilities for our projects.

Now we’re ready to move on to the students making their own personal projects.  The volunteer mentors are all geared up and ready to help however they’re needed, and in four weeks we should have some impressive creations to show off.

Students work with mentors to bring their ideas to life.

Lego Robotics - Oct. 26, 2013

Marking out distances for a golf-shot.

We're three weeks into the the fall 2013 Lego Robotics workshop and things are getting animated! Both classes have successfully advanced passed the basic programming phase and are advancing onto some really exciting projects.

In the morning session, the group has started working on their own original programs that they will create and demonstrate. They have also been given the challenge of a maze that they will have figure out how to program their robots through to land on a pressure-switch that they made themselves.

The older kids in the afternoon session decided on their group theme this week (it's a surprise) and have started building designing and building original robots around that theme. They will then have to test, refine and program their robots while figuring out the best way to present them for the big show.

Speaking of the Big Show, it's in two weeks! Information will be available at the next session on Saturday.

Collaborating on their maze program.

One programs while the other tweaks the robot - very efficient.

Wouldn't it be cool if...

you could engineer a better world?

Here is a video featuring one of my favorite engineer/innovators Saul Griffith. He has comes up with many unique and interesting projects, inflatable robotics is one of my favorite. This video reminds me of how much impact inventors and engineers can have on the world. Nearly everything we interact with daily has been touched by an designer or engineer. From your water bottle you drink from, to the automobile to ride in, to the power grid delivering electricity to your home. Engineers have the skills to take things from an idea to reality.

Here at The Bakken museum we work with kids who might become engineers that change the world. We try to help them to develop their skills and abilities so they are only limited by their imagination.

See you in the workshop!