Build a BuzzBot
Date: Saturday, April 27
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: 13 E. Tulane Ave. cmh 43202
Fee: $42.50; $77.50 for 2
Instructor: Andrew Frueh
Enrollment limit: 10
In this workshop, each student will build their own vibration based robot. These energetic little robots are related to bristle-bots, and they buzz their way around the room. They can even push small obstacles! In building, customizing, and playing with these simple robots, students will explore the phenomenon of using vibration as robotic locomotion.
The BuzzBot kit is designed by Columbus artist Andrew Frueh. The body for the bot is designed and printed on a 3D printer in the artisan studio run by him and his wife, Melissa. The BuzzBot is designed to be sturdy and reliable, yet allow each student to customize their bot. You can put the legs in different arrangements, add antennae, attach a tail… it’s your robot.
The first part of the workshop will consist of building a BuzzBot. This will require working with a soldering iron and a hot glue gun. During the workshop, students will solder some wires, then assemble the robot, customize the legs and other features, and then put their robots into action. The second part will consist of activities for completed robots. These activities will be chosen by the group, but could include any of the following: a robot race, robots are coming to smash the city!, robot ballet, etc. In this part, students will be looking at how vibration causes locomotion as they bend legs and modify their bots to get different behaviors.
This workshop is suitable for adults and kids aged 10 and over who are interested in robotics, and/or just like to make things. Optimally, students should have at least a little soldering experience beforehand, but the soldering is very minimal (only three spots), so first-timers should be okay if they feel confident.
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