Middle School, Robotics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 4)

Clean Up The Water with a Trash-Skimming Robot

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Engineers are trying to tackle the world's ocean pollution problem using robots. Some robots, like Mr. Trash Wheel and the ship featured in this Mark Rober video, are stationary and collect trash as it flows out of rivers before it gets into the ocean. Others, like the Jellyfishbot, are mobile and can squeeze into narrower spaces to collect trash: Can you build and test your own trash-skimming robot? If you do not have access to a natural body of water to test it in, you can use a bathtub or a… Read more

Exploring the Uncanny Valley

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do you consider creepy? Clowns? Zombies? Video game characters with jerky movement? In 1970, a roboticist by the name of Masahiro Mori suggested that people are "creeped out" by robots that are almost, but not exactly, humanlike. He called this phenomena the uncanny valley. But researchers are still exploring and defining the uncanny valley. In this science project, you can do your own exploration—just try not to creep your friends out too badly! Read more

Bristlebot Shape and Motion Tracking

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Bristlebots are tiny little robots with no "brain." They are powered by vibrations and move around randomly. Even if there is no brain, can you still influence how they move by changing their design? Find out in this fun robotics project! Read more

Build a Color-Detecting Rover

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

The Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rovers use scientific instruments, nicknamed ChemCam (Figure 1) and SuperCam respectively, to help them analyze the composition of rocks and soil on Mars. You can learn more about these cameras from the resources in the Bibliography, and more about why scientists want to analyze rocks on Mars from the video on this page. Figure 1. The two main parts of the ChemCam instrument on the Mars Curiosity rover. For a science… Read more

Build an Arduino Mini-Drone

Lesson Plan Grade: 8th-12th

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In this STEM lesson, students will build a mini popsicle stick drone and use feedback control with an Arduino and an ultrasonic sensor to control the drone's altitude. Read more

Build Statues That Come Alive When They See You

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

A simple circuit and a servo motor are all you need to turn any work of art into an interactive moving creation that is happy to see you. Light sensors see your shadow as you walk past your artwork and make a servo motor move back and forth. Waving arms? Turning heads? It is all up to you! Read more

Climb Every Mountain with Your Own LEGO® Cable Car

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

If you ever rode in a cable car, ski lift, or gondola, you know they make moving over obstacles like lakes, valleys, rivers, or even up steep mountains seem easy. Though it would be pretty difficult to build a full-size cable car in your home, if you have a Mindstorms® kit, you can build a working-model cable car of your own. The engineering challenge is to build a LEGO® cable car that can travel across a string you have suspended somewhere in your house (between two pieces of… Read more

DIY Mini Drone: Free Flight

STEM Activity

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Make your mini popsicle stick drone lift off in this activity! You will build a dual-joystick controller to steer your drone so you can fly it manually. How well can you fly without any help from automatic controls? See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

How Fast Can You Get It Done?

STEM Activity

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Do you hate doing the dishes, folding laundry, or cleaning up your room? Do you wish you could figure out a way to get these tasks done faster? Figure out how as you take on the role of a production engineer in this fun activity! Read more

How Fast is Automatic Braking?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How fast can a human driver react and hit the brakes when there is an obstacle in the road? Can autonomous cars react more quickly and make the road safer for everyone? In this project you will build your own Arduino robot and test human braking versus automatic braking as the robot drives toward an obstacle at full speed. Read more

Middle School, Robotics Projects, Lessons, Activities (56 results)

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