LEGO Robotics - Spring 2014: Mid Session Progress

We are over half way through our spring session of LEGO Robotics here at The Bakken Museum. We have two classes of students working hard on some interesting robotics projects. We wanted to share what we have been up to during these last few weeks and what we have coming up in the remaining time.

Introduction to LEGO Robotics - Morning Workshop

In our introductory class, we have learning the basics of robot design, construction, and programming. In the first week of class we began building the basic robot that we have come to love here at the museum. Each robot is assembled by a team of two students. One student assembles as the other collects pieces and then they switch roles until the have a fully functional robot. The students have done a great job helping each other out when they get stuck or need some help. By the end of the first day, pretty much everyone had a working robot.

On the second day we focused our attention on how to make our basic robot move around. We were utilizing the on-robot programming. This allows us to give the robot five instructions to respond to. We rotated through six challenge stations to help us practice computational thinking. Some of these stations included driving in a square, going exactly six feet and stopping, and going over a ramp. The second half of the day was spent investigating and experimenting with sensors. The NXT robots we use has four different sensors, each can be used to gather more information about the surroundings. We used those sensor to make the robots interact with the sounds, lights, and objects in our environment.

We learned that there are some limitations to what we can do with the programming style we practiced last week, so this week we learned to use the computer as a programming tool. This gives us a more power and flexibility to control the robot. To start off we focused on making the robot move along a specific path, a maze. The goal was to give the robot instructions to move through the maze from the starting line to the finish line with no human interaction. It was a tricky maze with many turns. Few students finished the whole things, but everyone made a good effort and made good progress during our workshop. It was a good reminder that just because it’s simple doesn't mean it easy.

Our fourth week started out with some circuit exploration. We used batteries, bulbs, and wires to make some interesting circuits. There was a wide range of skills in our group. It was great to see students sharing knowledge with their fellow students. Next, we brainstormed how we could make our robots interact with circuits. The rest of the day was spent working on special challenges designed by the students to be revealed at our Big Show on Saturday May 17th at 11:30. These challenges will be what we focus on for the rest of the session. I hope you will join us to see what these creative robot engineers are working on so diligently.

Inventors Club Spring 2014 - Week 4 plus Meet the Makers

The last session of Inventors Club for the 2013-2014 school year is in full swing now.  As usual, we spent the first two weeks doing introductory group activities, and learning all about the tools and materials of the student workshop.  Now that we just had the third of 6 Saturdays, we’ve begun working on everyone’s individual project which they’ll take home after the big show at the end.  This last Saturday was also a unique day because in between the morning and afternoon groups we had a special Meet the Makers program, where former students presented some of their work to the current students.

On the first day of the session, in the morning group we played some getting-to-know-you games so we could all get a little more familiar with each other.  Then we did an activity to help with using drawings to communicate our thoughts to others.  In that activity, all the students managed to tell their partner how to reconstruct a simple collection of miscellaneous small wood and plastic pieces by drawing their creations from the top, side, and front.  Then, after being safety trained for using the workshop, they paired up and built their own simple alarm systems which we then tried to disarm in an attempt to steal the precious treasure inside.

In the afternoon, we spent the first two weeks making art machines which we submitted for Science Friday’s Art Machine Science Club.  Two of the results can be seen on Youtube:

We also had a Meet the Makers session in between the two groups this last Saturday.  We’ve done this before a couple times, but always had a mentor or professional maker come in to discuss.  This time we brought back two former students to show off things they made in our programs.  The two students are also a part of our Green Energy Art Garden team, which is pairing 5 students with a local artist to create an artwork which utilizes some form of green energy, and will be displayed on our green roof this summer.  You can follow their progress and learn about them here.

Now it’s time to work on everyone’s individualized personal project, and in 3 more weeks they’ll show them off, and take them home.  We’re all looking forward to seeing the results!

Inventors Club Winter 2014 - Week 6

Another session of Inventors Club has come to a close.  As usual, we finished with the Big Show, where our student inventors displayed and described their inventions for friends and family.  Because the last step in the invention process here at the Bakken is "show it," it's very important for our program participants to explain what they've made with their time here.  Scientists and engineers need to be able to communicate their work to others, so we like to have the kids talk about their projects, and we even encourage the families and friends to visit with the students and ask them even more questions about their work to really get them thinking.

Every session brings projects we've never seen before.  This time around it felt like we saw everything from an egg cracking machine, to a ball toss game, a couple amplifiers, a few shockers (including one cleverly disguised as a normal telephone handset), a chalk drawing robot, and a submarine.  We even saw a diorama of a kitchen that was able to take food from the fridge to the table all on its own.

The schedule this year has us going almost directly from the winter session into the spring session, so this Saturday we'll be starting up the next round of Inventors Club and LEGO Robotics.  Of course, any information about our youth programs can be found on our website at thebakken.org/youth-programs.

Inventors Club Winter 2014 - Week 3

Well, with this heat wave of freezing temperatures, we’re halfway through winter Inventors Club.  Now that the group work is done, all the students have started work on their personal projects.  They’ve drawn their ideas and gathered some supplies together, and now we get to spend the next three weeks bringing all their ideas to life. 

This is the part of the program where the kids really get to flex their creativity.  Now that they have ideas, they have to figure out how to make the supplies that are available meet their needs, and of course they have to solve any of the problems that inevitably arise when making.  Luckily we have a wonderful group of volunteer mentors to help with all that.

Whether they're bringing their expertise on a subject, learning something new alongside one of the students, or even just providing an extra set of hands or eyes, we couldn’t do what we do without them.

So, with both the morning and the afternoon groups off to a great start, we're excited to see their ideas in action.  It's going to be a fun 3 weeks!

More information about all of our youth programs can be found on our website here: http://thebakken.org/youth-programs

Inventors Club Winter 2014 - Week 1

And the winter session of Inventors Club is off to a running start!  This session is all about chain reactions, plus more Arduino practice for the older group.

Last Saturday we started work on Rube Goldberg balloon popping devices in the morning group.  Lots of different ideas being tried out, and this weekend we get to see what the final results will look like.  Some of our big nails seem to be popular choices for making the big kaboom, but will they be able to puncture the balloons, or will some have to be switched out for something sharper?  You might say we're waiting on pins and needles here.

In the afternoon we started work on an experimental Arduino servo chain reaction.  Can we create our own homemade switches so that our servos can activate each other one after another?  Can we get them to run in a looping circle?  This weekend we'll finish the switches, add some programming, and find out!  The homemade switches are looking awfully impressive and creative.  It's going to be fun to see them in action.

Of course, after all this group work, the students will spend the rest of the 6 week program working on making their own project idea.  With the help of our equipment, materials, and mentors they'll be bringing their ideas to life.  We're all looking forward to seeing what amazing new creations will come out of the workshop this time around.

Lego Robotics - Winter 2014

We are now over half way through this session of LEGO Robotics. Both the morning and afternoon classes are make impressive progress. In our remaining two weeks each group is working on specific challenges.

Our Introduction to LEGO Robotics class in the morning works in teams, two students for each robot.

 Each team has built their robot, practiced basic programming, and have experienced using the computer to try more advanced programming techniques and concepts. The first week we did thought provoking investigation to see how wheel size affected our robots motion. This week we started with some circuit exploration, figuring out how basic circuits work and how to control them with a switch. Now we are building and program robots for specific student designed challenges. Some groups are working on making their robot interact with a custom made pressure pad. Other groups are preparing their robots for battle. Join us at the Big Show on Saturday March 1st to see these robots in action.

In the afternoon our Robot Challenges students have also been busy. In this group each student has their own robot to work with so they can really customize their robot and tinker with its design and programming.

The first week was spent constructing the a basic robot. The second week was spent investigate sensors and basic programming. In the third we constructed a basic maze for our robots and then programmed the robots to successfully travel through the maze.

In our fourth week the big challenge was introduced. The challenge for the afternoon group involves building a snow plowing robot. For our scenario the snow will be represented by balls of different sizes and shapes. So far we have been experimenting with different plow designs and trying to utilize the skills we practiced to get our robots through the maze to help us through the new course. We have run into some challenges as well such as trying to find the right balance of making a plow that is big enough to capture most of the "snow" but not so big that is catches on the curb and knocks the robot off course. Challenges we will going to work on and refine over the next two weeks.

Robot Show

The other day (almost a month ago now) I had the privilege of serving as a judge for the University of Minnesota's Intro to Mechanical Engineering Robot Show. I have been doing this for a few years now. It is always fun for me to see the creativity of these future engineers as they show off the fruits of their labors. (Not to mention I took the class myself while I attended the U, so I can relate and know how much fun/stressful robot building can be.) The rules for the robot are pretty simple so the outcome varies widely. Basically the robot must do something interesting for 20 to 60 seconds and must be controlled by a Arduino microcontroller. Every year I see something new and creative.

Here is one of my favorite robots I saw. This robot could reliably juggle three ping pong balls.

The thing that stood out to me this year was the obvious difference in skills between the student who have experience making and building to those that did not. This difference most often manifests itself in the complexity of the robot. And that is part of what's great about the Robot Show. Each student can work at his or her own level given the amount of skill and experience. I still believe that making and apply concepts learned in class to a real project is one of the best ways to learn. Regardless there is a significant difference between the sophistication of students who have been making and building for fun and those who are tackling it for the first time.

Attending this Robot Show each fall is both humbling and inspiring. It always makes me so proud of the students I am working with here at The Bakken. I have the pleasure of working with students half of the age of many of these college students who are working on projects and robots that are equally sophisticated and amazing. It makes me really excited to see what they will be able to do with another five to ten years of experience and skill building. I suspect it will be pretty great!

Update (1/4/2014)
Turns out, Bakken Inventors Club alumnus, Ben Pobiel was in the show. He was interviewed by a reporter of the Minnpost. http://www.minnpost.com/education/2013/12/robots-are-here-along-their-inventors. Thanks to our friend and mentor August for sharing the link since I missed Ben at the show.

Inventors Club Big Show

Discussing one student's project

Just before Thanksgiving we finished up our fall session of Inventors Club with another successful Big Show.  The 4th step of the invention process here at the Bakken is Show It, and to facilitate that we invite friends and family in on the last day of every session to see the students present their creations.

Controlling an LED display with an Arduino

Every time around we see new projects we've never seen before, and this fall was no exception. From boats and cars, to a drink lifter and a drawing robot, an LED display and a calculator, and many more, there were a lot of great projects to enjoy.

A grappling hook launcher

We had quite a bit of fun working with the students this session, and owe a great big thank you to all the volunteers who helped bring the kids' ideas to life, and the parents who give us the chance to play and learn alongside their children.

A drawing robot

We have lots of more opportunities coming up to do some great making at the Bakken.  Our winter session of Inventors Club is starting on the 15th of February, and is now open for online registration.  Also, we always have our drop-in Thursday evening Open Workshops from 4:30 to 6:30, which are available with a punch card.  The full schedule for those, and all our programs, is on our website.

Lego Robotics Wrap-up

The fall 2013 session of Lego Robotics ended with a bang at the Bakken. The amount of growth seen in all the students was truly impressive - we can't wait to see what these future engineers might build next.

In the morning session, each pairing had two challenges. The first was to program their robot to complete a maze and end on a pressure switch that each of them made. This task is a great example of how looks can be deceiving - everyone thinks it's easy when the challenge is introduced, but it actually requires each group to use all the skills that they've learned together in a very precise manner. Nonetheless, the whole group did an awesome job battling through to the end! The pride they felt when their robots made it onto their switches for the first time was well deserved, and fun to watch!

The second challenge that each group showed to their families during the Big Show was one of their own choosing. We had several golf shot challenges, a rodeo robot, and even a very fine dance performed. The creativity and ingenuity showed here was trumped only by the persistence in seeing their ideas brought to life.

The afternoon group had a completely different set of challenges. Since this group is a little older, they got to decide as a group what the theme for their robots and challenges should be. After going through many ideas, like a relay race, sumo wrestling, construction site, and a robot dance party (dancing was very popular), the group eventually decided on Robot Olympics as our theme. Each builder came up with their own design for a robotic event, then designed and programmed the robots from scratch. The results were extremely cool. We had a bipedal discus throwing robot next to a quadrupedal cat robot that lit up our Olympic torch.

 

There was a soccer kicking robot and a hockey shooting bot. We even had a fishing robot that used magnets to catch the illusive paper-clipped mouth bass. The horseback riding robot required some very challenging programming to get both horizontal and lateral movement to mimic a horse. Not only were the parents impressed, I'm pretty sure that the kids impressed themselves.

Overall, it was another great session of robot building and programming that reinforced the idea that kids can make some amazing things with the right tools and an engineer's outlook.

Meet the Makers!

This last Saturday we hosted a special event for our young inventors, a Meet the Makers session. We like to to invite local scientists, designers, engineers, and artists who make to come in and share some of their creative energy with us. This week during our break between the morning and afternoon sessions we invited students and families from both sessions to join us and learn from Jerry Belich and George Werl.



George demonstrated for us the principles of Chromatic Electricity. He also demonstrated the importance of being able to show off your project. As a practiced magician George enjoys the flourish of a good presentation.

George has been a long-time friend of The Bakken, and is one of our longest running mentors for the Inventors Club. He has a background as an electrical engineer, primarily working on telecommunication equipment.

In this video, George shows how each colored light bulb is controlled by the switch of the same color. The really interesting thing though is that each switch controls the light bulb regardless of what socket the light bulb is in, even when you take the light bulb out of one socket and plug it into another one.


Jerry shared his Choosatron, an interactive fiction machine. He talked about the iterative design process, and the value of trying different things out and finding ways to improve your design. He brought some of the older versions of the Choosatron, and showed us how the project has evolved over time.

Since the older students have been learning how to use Arduinos, Jerry was kind enough to stick around with the afternoon group and get into some of the more technical details of how the Choosatron hardware and software work.

Jerry is an interactive storyteller, theremin player, inventor, and developer for Clockwork Active Media here in Minneapolis.  He just recently completed a successful kickstarter campaign for his invention.
 

Jerry will be back at The Bakken on November 9th during the Free Second Saturday to share the awesomeness that is his Choosatron with more people.  It is pretty neat, so you should come check it out.