Taken from a blog written at Irchester Primary School http://lab13network.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/dads-robot-lab/ about a robot activity. For more details about Lab_13 go to: http://lab13network.wordpress.com/
 

Dad’s Robot Lab!

Posted on November 28, 2012 

Hi! This is Morgan and Emily. Our Dads come to Dads Club in Lab_13.

Last week, we had some visitors! They demonstrated how all of the robots worked. There were some amazing remote controlled robots and a Lego robot. The name of the person who worked with all of the extraordinary robots was Scott Turner. We were amazed by the robots. Thank you for coming.

 The Lego robot could be controlled by the computer. The other robot could do handstands, roly-polys and cartwheels. Some were doing gymnastics, walking, bowing and dancing. The Lego robot just went all over the place!

 

Emily’s stepdad, Robin, said “It was fantastic – I want a robot for Christmas.”Unfortunately they are £800! And Kris, Kieran’s dad said “Thanks for organising the robot lab … a nice little event, an amazing robot!” 

The robots used can be found at the Active Robots site : http://www.active-robots.com/robots/robot-kits-1/robonova-humanoid-robot-rtw-ready-assembled.html 

If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Alexandra

Just a quick bit, but Alexandra (can find more at Alex's reflections) talks about her time as a student and includes her work on the Lego robots from the Junkbots project.









If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

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If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

junkbots in northampton

Last Wednesday (11th June 2012) junkbots returned home. During the Inspiring Girls into Engineering event held at the School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton a junkbots session was held.

Two groups of girls from two local primary schools built a drawing junkbots remarkably quickly (going to have to think of ways to extending it!) that
- drew patterns without anyone touching it;
-carried the battery pack (4 AA batteries)




Details of the work developed and a case study can be found at: http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/project?id=16&pp=540


Details of the case study can be found at: http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Junkbot_june_northampton.pdf

Details of an in-school session plan can be found at: http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_KS3_4_longer.docx

Details of an STEM club session plan can be found at: 
http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_primary_short8.docx




If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Dancing robots

For the last few months at lot of the outreach work from the Junkbots project was focused on the exercises based around turning cans into drawing bots or junk clearing bots. Yesterday (21st June 2012) the robot programming side of the project was trialled with primary schools.

The Northamptonshire based Nene Lakes Extended Services ran "Chemistry at Work Day" event hosted by Scott Bader, Wollaston and the robot programming was also included as well. The programming idea, an off-shoot of the junkbots project, was for the students to programming an NXT Lego robot to dance using only four commands that allowed the robot to:

• go forward for so many centimetres
• go back for so many centimetres
• go turn right for so many degrees
• go turn left for so many degrees

The structure of the activity was

1. up to 5 minutes introduction to the activity
2. up to 10 minutes as a group of usually up seven; design a dance routine of no more than four moves
3. up to 10 minutes putting the routine on to the robot using a template Java program 
4. up to 10 minutes testing the routine; redesign the routine with up to eight moves, repeat 3
5. remaining time involves forming a large circle putting the groups robot in the centre and watching them preform and saying which is the best and why.

When the instructions are being entered into the computer, the facilitator does the first one and then the students add the remaining instructions themselves and decide which instruction to use, and the first student tells then next student how to do it and so on. The facilitator does the compiling and uploading to the robot largely for speed.

Because of a limited access to the computer to program the robots an extra activity was incorporated - one person reading out the instructions one by one and then one or more members of the group acting out the actions.

Objectives aimed for

• they can write and design programs;
• STEM is fun;
• robots are fun;

Lessons learn by the facilitator - it would be much easier if there was two facilitators!



If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

junkbot project: case study and session plans

The results of a funding from HE STEM South West has enabled the junkbot project to go into primary schools and the material to be revised based on good practice in STEM public engagement in primary schools. 


The funding looked at adopted the ideas and practice developed previously to produce STEM activities in this case targeted at Primary schools.


Details of the work developed and a case study can be found at: http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/project?id=16&pp=540







Details of the case study can be found at: http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Junkbot_june_northampton.pdf


Details of an in-school session plan can be found at: http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_KS3_4_longer.docx


Details of an STEM club session plan can be found at: 
http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_primary_short8.docx

Junkbots on Prezi

If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Wootton Primary School

On the 30th April 2012 the junkbots project went to Wootton Primary's STEM club. The task was challenging to design and to build junkbots that can draw in less than 45 minutes...and they did.

Great work and some engineers/technologists for the future.

Thank you to Mrs Meadows and all the children of the STEM club for inviting me.

If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Prezi overview of Junkbots

Junkbots on Prezi

If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Fun - Drawing junkbot

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The last picture has some of the shapes the junkbots produced.

If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

junkbots goes to Roade

Friday 16th March 2012, the junkbots project moved to year 6 at Roade Primary School. 


The aim was to Look in to how to use electric motors to make junk move, along with the effect of weight, surface contact effects and positioning of the weights. The task was to make something that could move along a table as quickly as possible.

Good example is the 'sleigh' shown above, a mixture of straws, yoghurt pots, pens, plastics and electric motors. What was especially good about this one was - it went in a straight line, shaking its way along and even carried its batteries. This was especially good as usually these junkbots have a tendency to spin around. The group that developed this one investigated repositioning the batteries, thereby adjusting the weight to get it to travel in a straight line.


Thank you to the year 6 at Roade Primary School for inviting me, lots of budding engineers there.


If you want to know more about Junkbots please contact: scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Junkbots goes South...South End infants school

This week the junkbots idea were taken to South End Infant School, Rushden, Northamptonshire as part of their Science week....and it was good fun for me as well. 


In three groups they played with:
- The hovercraft idea that Hayley developed (http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/2011/08/hovercraft-do-i-need-motor.html). Basically a balloon, CD and a sports bottle top, that floats across a table.
- The basic junkbot - A drinks can, two markers, broken propeller, a motor and battery pack,
- The new junkbot takes basic the junkbot and rearranges so it stands on the pen tips. Now add a third pen and we have a less elegant Picassobot. Start it up on some paper and (hopefully) watch it wriggle and draw.


All this in one hour!

Junkbot videos - Hayley's work

A collection of videos from Hayley Stevenson's junkbots work including insect-like robots

And here is what it drew:

Taken from: http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html

Taken from: http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-9-fan-racer-comes-to-life.html

Junkbots and lego robots combined:

 taken from:  http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-18-my-last-day.html 

Here is the video summarising her work:

Junkbots video

A Video montage of Hayley Stevenson's work on the Junkbots can be found at see http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com.

PicassoBot the drawing junkbot

Taken from the blog: http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-4-design-and-paperwork.html

PicassoBot

Assembly Instructions for the PicassoBot

•  Using the template provided, cut out a BASEPLATE for your JunkBot. Place the template on the thick card, and cut out using a craft knife. Be careful not to cut anything that is under the card. Depending on the type of card, you made need to make 2 BASEPLATE’s and stick them together to increase the strength.
• If you wish, can now decorate your baseplate, but remember that the holes need to be accessible after decorations!
• Now you need to make the legs. Take 3 of your straws, and place then together, lengthways to make a thicker leg. The end of the straws should look like a triangle. Next, extend the straws to their fullest possible length, and bend the ridged part to make a 45degree angle. Once you have done this, secure the straws together using a strip of tape at the top of the straws.
• Now, look at the other end of the straws, the one that is not secured. This is where the pen must be inserted, and therefore the inside half of each od the straws needs to be removed. Using either scissors or a craft knife, remove the inside half of the straws for the bottom 8 cm of the straws.
• Insert the pen into the cut ends of the straws and secure with tape. Add tape to the legs where needed to hold them together. Then wrap a piece of tape around the ridged end of the straw, to keep the angle a 45 degrees. (see picture).
• Repeat steps 3-5 with the other 6 straws, so you have 3 legs. Once you have done this, the legs can be decorated, but remember the end of the straws both need to be free to draw or be added to the baseplate.
• Insert each of the legs (The ends without pens) into the triangular shaped holes on the baseplate, secure them tightly with tape. 
• You not need to add the supports between the legs to hold them in position. Take a straw, and secure it horizontally between two of the legs. Repeat this until there are supports between each of the legs, Add as many as you feel necessary.
• Take the motor, and add the propeller or weight to the sprog. Then, attach the battery pack to the motor using the wires given. Insert the batteries and make sure it works. Disconnect the battery and motor, the Insert the motor into the the star shaped area on the baseplate. If it is loose, secure with tape.
• Add the battery pack to the baseplate, it goes where the dotted lines are. Secure with tape. Your PicassoBot is now ready to go! When ready, reconnect the battery pack to the motor. This will make your Junkbot vibrate and begin to draw patterns.  

Things to consider

How can you make different patterns using you PicassoBot? Experiment with modifications.

How can you make your JunkBot more stable or more unstable?

What happens if you use more legs on your JunkBot?

waste inspires students

A recent article in the Northampton Herald and Post " How a university is using waste as tool to inspire students

" by Lawrence John discusses the Junkbots project. 

"FUNNY looking robots called junkbots could be the key to encouraging more children across the county to become engineers, computer programmers or scientists.

One force which is driving this idea forward is the University of Northampton.

For the past few years, staff from its science and technology department have been going out to primary and secondary schools to spread the word that science is fun.

By working with schools, the university hopes to show pupils a different side to computing and hopefully raise their interest in what they can achieve" Lawrence John

For the whole article click here.

junkbots the slideshow

Ceisie2011 conf

View more presentations from Scott Turner

Abstract: The School of Science and Technology at the University of Northampton have been working with local schools to create robots made from junk and also to use robots programmed by the students to perform simple rubbish clearing exercises. This is an initiative by the University to introduce environmental sustainability, engineering and computing to students in schools. This paper focuses on the programming part of the project, providing reflections on the activities.