Robotics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 9)

DIY Mini Drone: Motion Control

STEM Activity

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12 reviews

Most modern smartphones and video game controllers have a built-in accelerometer used for motion control. In this project you will program an Arduino® to use an accelerometer to control the steering of a miniature popsicle stick drone. See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

Eco-Friendly Squishy Robots

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In our introductory VoxCAD project, you were challenged to use the VoxCAD software to design the fastest possible robot using different materials. However, we did not ask you to think about one big thing — efficiency. It is great to design a robot that is very fast, but what if it also consumes a lot of energy? Engineers must consider this when designing robots in the real world — robots that use more energy to move will drain their batteries faster, which can be a problem. This is… Read more

Human-Robot Interaction: Do Looks Matter?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you think robots are cute? Funny? Scary? How do robots make you feel? What words would you choose to describe a robot? Find out how people react to robots by building and decorating your own robot in this science project. Read more

Program Drone Steering with an Arduino®

STEM Activity

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How do quadcopters (drones with four propellers) steer? Find out in this fun project as you program an Arduino to steer a mini popsicle stick drone! See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

Should My Robot be More or Less Squishy?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In our introductory VoxCAD project, we provided a template with four materials: two active materials that expand and contract in the physics sandbox mode, and two passive materials — one hard and one soft. The project mentioned material properties, but it did not go into much detail — you just used the default settings from the template. Changing the material properties can drastically change how your robots behave. Engineers must take material properties into account when designing… Read more

Soft Robots with Built-In LEDs

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Check out the soft robotic gripper and artificial robotic skin projects. These projects show you how to use flexible silicone rubber to make robots or robotic parts. The second project shows you how to connect external LEDs using an Arduino. The LEDs light up when an embedded piece of conductive fabric stretches. What about embedding LEDs in the silicone rubber? You can do this by embedding the LEDs between layers of silicone (Figure 1). The trick is to solder flexible stranded wires to the… Read more

Squishy Robot Simulator: Physics Settings

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In our introductory VoxCAD project, we provided you with a template file that included default material properties and physics simulation settings. These settings include friction, gravity, and temperature — all of which can drastically change how fast your robots move. However, we did not explain what exactly all these physics simulation settings meant, or how to change them. You can access the physics settings through the Physics Settings tab after entering the Physics Sandbox mode, as… Read more

What Sensors Are Best for Self-Driving Cars?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Self-driving cars use a variety of sensors to evaluate and navigate their environment. Each type of sensor has advantages and disadvantages. In this project you will evaluate two common types of distance sensor (ultrasonic and infrared) and compare their performance in different scenarios. Read more

Robotics Projects, Lessons, Activities (88 results)

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