Junkbots

I came across a series of very cool videos from a YouTubber "Make with Me", that fit very well with the ethos of the Junkbots project and this blog. Here are a few of them: Worth subscribing to their channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZvmzmENvrnMmCd8ZAqcA2w c For plans and resources from Junkbot project go to  https://junkbots.blogspot.com/2012/06/junkbot-project-case-study-and-session.html If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Capturing some of the tweets about Junkbots at Mozilla Festival 2017 #Mozfest  https://mozillafestival.org/   great Crumble session 2day at #mozfest from @scottturneruon . Micro-egg bots!!! @RedfernElec @Baggiepr Great stepping stone into CrumbleBots! pic.twitter.com/0TZ2vr4Qat — Nic Hughes (@duck_star) October 29, 2017 @AlwaysComputing Look at what you're missing... pic.twitter.com/DrpEAy51r8 — Alan O'Donohoe (@teknoteacher) October 29, 2017 Great day at #mozfest . Till next year. Again met meant inspiring people and saw awesome ideas! Plus anyone I missed! pic.twitter.com/eL52cRIMwE — Nic Hughes (@duck_star) October 29, 2017 Details of the activity can be found at http://bit.ly/2yZ3dZT If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Guest Blogger Nathaniel Roberts, Nuffield Research Placement Student working at the University of Northampton. Nuffield Research Placement scheme provides students in their first year of a post16 course to work with STEM professionals  http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-research-placements . Toilet Roll Junkbot Nathaniel Roberts Cut a slit in a toilet roll. Cut another toilet roll in half, then arrange the pieces in a T. Feed the bottom of the T into the slit, and tape together. Cut two lines into the edge, and do the same on the opposite side of the circle. Copy this for the other side of the tube. These geared motors from the Camjam EduKit 3 should fit into those gaps. Stick a battery pack to the back, and use crocodile clips to wire it all up to a crumble. The battery pack can connect to the + and - on either side at the top of the crumble, and the motors connect to the + and - of their respective sides of the crumble. Using a Micro...

Three approaches to control it will be considered here: - via Raspberry Pi; - via Micro:Bit -via Crumble controller 1. Raspberry Pi based In this Raspberry Pi based Junkbot design a combination of Python and Pimoroni's  Explorer HAT PRO  are used to control it. Explorer HAT Pro is a good choice, it can control two motors with a library provided to simplify the programming. For this the Junkbot was the one shown above: a drinks can, pen, LEGO bits, motor and broken propellor. Before the Explorer HAT can be used the library needs to be installed via the Terminal and the instructions below curl get.pimoroni.com/explorerhat | bash Python code to control the junkbot is shown below. import explorerhat from time import sleep def spin1(duration):     explorerhat.motor.one.forward(100)     sleep(duration)     explorerhat.motor.one.stop() def spin2(duration):    ...

Poster presented at PyCon UK 2016, 17th September 2016. Pyconuk16  junkbots   from  Scott Turner DOI:  10.13140/RG.2.2.28682.67520 For more details on the three builds: Raspberry Pi based:  http:// bit.ly /2c87qex Basic Micro:Bit build:  http:// bit.ly /2cmJo0B Radio Control Micro:Bit  Junkbot :  http:// bit.ly /2cMHpDa All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter  @scottturneruon If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

I In an earlier  post , I showed how you could build a Micro:Bit controlled Junkbot. In this post I want to show a modification to it, to use one Micro:Bit to control the junkbot controlled by another Micro:Bit. A nice feature of the Micro:Bit using micropython, is it can send and receive simple messages via radio - so here is my take on it. The first problem is the Python editor available on  https://www.microbit.co.uk/  does not seem to work with the radio API. One solution to this is to change to the  mu  editor. Two pieces of code are needed. Sending Code for the 'remote' control: Essentially it is set up to send two messages, via the built-in radio module,  spinl  or  spinr  depending on which button is pressed. import radio from microbit import button_a, button_b radio.on() while True:    if button_a.is_pressed():        radio.send('spinl')    if button_...

Junkbots ( http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/ ) are based around using  materials such as drink's cans, broken propellors and motors to produce something that moves by vibration. Previous designs be found at: Raspberry Pi Controlled Junkbots Junkbots blog The latest tweak to the Raspberry Pi based Junkbot design is to use the combination of Python and Pimoroni's  Explorer HAT PRO  to control it. Explorer HAT Pro is a good choice, it can control two motors with a library provided to simplify the programming. For this the Junkbot was the one shown above: a drinks can, pen, LEGO bits, motor and broken propellor. Before the Explorer HAT can be used the library needs to be installed via the Terminal and the instructions below curl get.pimoroni.com/explorerhat | bash Python code to control the junkbot is shown below. import explorerhat from time import sleep def spin1(duration):     explorerhat.motor.one.forward(100)     sleep(durati...

Mark Tilden : l'homme qui sort des robots de son chapeau - H+ Magazine : "Mark Tilden est le roboticien au chapeau, l’homme aux 20 millions de robots qui a écrit ses 3 lois de la robotique, l’initiateur d’un courant de pensée avec ses BEAMS. Un homme dont la pensée et l’œuvre foisonnent d’idées nouvelles." https://humanoides.fr/2015/11/mark-tilden-lhomme-sort-robots-de-chapeau/ 'via Blog this' All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

Copyright Scott turner The aim of the project is to give students in Primary Education an introduction to programming principles and basic programming language structure via physical feedback, in the shape of robotics. To do this, research and development into available methods currently available toke place, possibilities to do with JunkBot programming such as JunkBots using Scratch and other potential languages were explored and developed upon. History of JunkBots The JunkBot concept originally comes from the University of Northampton JunkBots Project [1]. The aim of the concept is to introduce the concept of Environmental Sustainability through the use of recycling “junk” to create the JunkBots and introduce computing and engineering to students. JunkBots were selected for this project due to several factors. Firstly, they are cost effective ways of delivering fun, creative ways of teaching computing and engineering principles to young students. JunkBots also have...

A recent presentation as part of the Department of Computing and Immersive Technologies, University of Northampton Research Seminar series, looking a on going project within the Department. Junkbots has been a ongoing and ever evolving project since 2009 around the use of 'junk' as part of activities to developing skills in STEM subjects. In particular in the presentation (below) shows the links between these activities and Computational Thinking were discussed. Junkbots and computational thinking   from  Scott Turner If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

Details of the Raspberry Pi Junkbot are now available as resource on the Computing at Schools site. Link:  http://community.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/3390 If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

New landmark in the junkbots project - junkbots delivered by someone else. @STEMatUN Junkbots Challenge at the Discovering Science Day, which do you think was the fastest? pic.twitter.com/Dg7SisTSas — NevaBeast (@NevaBeast) March 25, 2015 For more details: on the junkbots project go to:  http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/   on the work developed and a case study can be found at:  http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/project?id=16&pp=540  or   http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Junkbot_june_northampton.pdf  in-school session plan can be found at:  http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_KS3_4_longer.docx STEM club session plan can be found at:  http://projects.hestem-sw.org.uk/upload/Planning_Process_junkbots_primary_short8.docx This and other posters at Engage 2013 can be found at:  https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/engage2013/poster-party If you would like to know more about t...

Junkbots training for University of Northampton STEM Champions on 23rd February 2015. Training lead by Scott Turner. (c) Linda Davis-Sinclair (c) Linda Davis-Sinclair For more details of the junkbots project go to:  http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/ If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

An undergraduate dissertation student is looking for help. James is a computing student looking at robot designs for primary education towards his dissertation and as part of the wider  Junkbots project , and the working going on in both the Department of Computing and Immersive Technologies, and School of Education on Physical Computing at the University of Northampton. The short questionnaire can be found at  http://t.co/zdomXnW2Qe  and is aimed at gathering  a variety of responses from both current Teachers, Students of Education and from anyone with knowledge of programming teaching methods in both Key Stage 1 and 2. He is planning to create a product which aims to teach programming methods and practices based on the current and new national curriculum. If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

A new Facebook page has been set-up to complement this blog:  www.facebook.com/junkrobot Please come along have a look. If you would like to know more about the Junkbots project contact scott.turner@northampton.ac.uk

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

About - LEGO Mindstorms Junkbots : "The idea behind the LEGO Mindstorms Junkbots is to bring together the motors of the LEGO and use them to power the robot which is otherwise created from junk. The key aims of the project are; To give children at a KS2 primary school level an insight into what can be achieved through the use of simple programming. To provide a fun and engaging activity for children to be creative and design their own robots. To use the robots and programming software to achieve basic movements of the Junkbots. The original junkbots project combined the idea of using motors and vibrations to move the bots with limited control however the new project uses the idea of programming to add a further element of control and as such the simplicity of the self contained NXT device was decided upon as a branch of this. Aiming the project at KS1 and KS2 gives the opportunity to introduce basic programming from a young age and demonstrate just one of the interesti...

Raspberry Pi Junkbot - Home : A new website providing more information of the Raspberry Pi Junkbot project (combining Raspberry Pi, Scratch programming and junk). This will be added to as the  project develops. At the moment it includes - Introduction -Discussion about the robot controller card -ScratchGPIO - Example of the drawing bot. 'via Blog this'

Figure 1 In previous posts I start looked at using ScratchGPIO to control a junkbot  ( http://junkbots.blogspot.com/2014/08/junkbot-pi-1-scratchgpio.html ) and showed a Pi controlled junkbot briefly in action ( http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/junkbot-raspberry-pi-2-raspberry-pi.html ). In this post I aim to discuss - Choice of motor controller card - Provide an example of a drawing junkbot controlled through Scratch and Raspberrry Pi Choice of interface/Controller card The card choosen was the 4Tronix PiRoCon card  ( http://4tronix.co.uk/store/index.php?rt=product/product&product_id=182 ). Selected for four reasons - Price is reasonable (in my opinion). - Fits straight onto the Pi through the GPIO - no extra cables needed. - ScratchGPIO has it as an addon so it makes programming it even easier (see http://cymplecy.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/pirocon-from-4tronix/ ). - Others are using it for robot projects. Use it is quite easy plug the board directl...