Junkbots

Popular posts How to build junkbots: Old toys In a previous blog entry the idea of using drinks can and an unbalanced motor was discussed. but what else have the projects participants t... How to build junkbots: Drinks can, unbalanced motor The junkbots project has now being running for 18 months in Northamptonshire, UK. But how have the junkbots being built? A video produced by... How to build junkbots: Wheels don’t always work well Back to the main approach, simplest way and probably the quickest:- A body (drinks can and drinks bottles usually) and an unbalanced motor -... Huxlow Pt 2: Lego Robots  The second half (programming lego robots) on the junkbots project has been carried out at  Huxlow Science College  on 28th February 2011. ... Toys from trash Arvind Gupta has produced a lot of work on turning junk into toys that aim to demonstrate the engineering ideas in an very interesting (wel... Brooke We...

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...

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 up to 5 minutes introduction to the activity up to 10 minutes as a group of usually up seven; design a dance routine of no more than four moves up to 10 minutes putting the ro...

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 th...

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

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

Here is a junkbot my 7-year old son and I came up with at the weekend. A bit of fun - a junkbot that draws based on a bashed up drinks can, pens, straws, motor, broken fan and lots of tape! 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