DIY Robotics @ UCSD Extension K-12 college exploration Summer 2011

  • Posted On July 20, 2011
  • BY Noah

Reflection on DIY Robotics: Scribble bots

Yesterday, we created very simple ‘bots from rubber bands, markers, and box fans. Their purpose was two fold: one, literally, to draw scribble art on paper, and two, metaphorically, to show us that robots don’t need to be programmed, with comp...

Day 2: Squigglebot

Yesterday, after we posted in our blogs, we did projects that we didn’t get to blog about.  Today, we have a chance to write about our experience yesterday. We got to create a robot yesterday: the Squigglebot.  We had a light up fan and four marke...

Hacking a VCR

Yesterday, some people got to hack computers and printers, while we got to hack a VCR!!! (VideoCassette Recorder).  This was my first big hack, so I was very excited. Inside the VCR were several gears and electric parts, and a few motors.  The first th...

opening a computer

Yesterday we also opened up a computer. It was an old Dell Windows XP. We opened it up and took off the top. Inside we saw the mother board, a fan, the power box, and lots of wires. We had to pry everything open with a screwdriver. We are going to use the...

Making a fan into a robot

Making a fan into a robot ———–Yesterday, on the 19th of July, we made a fan into a robot. We took a fan and stripped the wires so we could connect them to the battery easily. Then we took the wires and taped them to the wires leadi...

  • Posted On July 20, 2011
  • BY Rahul

Day 2 SquigglyBot

On the second day, we actually didn’t finish with just breaking open an old cellphone. Our next project was a SquigglyBot, as you can see above. It was basically made up of a computer fan, with a few blades missing. This made the fan imbalanced, cau...

Day 2:hacking into a computer

Today I hacked into a computer along with three other group members. Inside we took out all the things that were removable. The mother board and the other circuits inside had many capacitors. A capacitor is a device that stores energy. Some were very big ...

soda can RT-D2

When on the Internet at DIY robotics,  I found an amazing junk bot that was a soda can fashioned into a RT-D2. I was thoroughly wowed by this junk bot. If I could see more of this persons work I would love to see it. Try checking out junks bot on the Int...

diy robotics

Today I am going to make my own robot. it is going to consist of very simple parts such as old printer parts, gears, motors, etc. It is going to basically be a junk bot. It is probably going to have wheels to move around with.

Phone Egg Junk Bot

Today I made a junk bot which was really fun except for the part where we had to look for parts.  I was slower to take items and by the time I made a decision most of the good parts were gone.  But once i got started, the process got a little better.  ...

junkbots finished

we finished our robot. we got to pick from a lot of diffrent parts.  i thought it was fun. it took me along time to finish my junkbot. here is a picture of my junkbot in construction. when i put my robot together it just fell apart.

diy robotics

Today i built a bristle bot or vibrobot. It consists of a phone vibrator motor  attached to a 3 volt battery thats attached to a tooth brush head. It was very funny and interesting to see the robot vibrate around the table. 

  • Posted On July 20, 2011
  • BY Noah

Reflection on DIY Robotics: Junk bots

Junk bots are really a type of sculpture, with an optional electrical function. They are often constructed out of left over parts. We took most of today to create our own junk bots. Most have basic electrical feature, like an LED, a motor, or, for some, n...

Making a real robot

Today, my team and I tried to build a robot car. It’s task was simply but complicated. It was to move itself from on place to an other. Just look at these words makes the task look simple, however doing so with junk parts is hard. The first probleam...

junk bot continued!!

I have continued on my junk bot. (Its my junk bot because the group i was in split up). It has a saw blade arm and claw arm. Its head has a red LED in a white gear around it, the light can turn on and off. Here is a picture of the bot.  P.S (special than...

The Junkbot

Today, we broke open a printer and removed select parts. The parts we removed were all mainly motors and gears to use in our junkbot. The junkbot was supposed to roll around on a wheeled chassis. However, we were not able to finish the bot despite our bes...

Angry JunkBot

Today I made a small robot that gets angry easily. If you push the button, his eye glows red.  It isn’t much, but tomorrow I plan to add more. Hopefully, he will wave his arms, too.

Trying to defy the laws of physics

Well, yesterday I made a little sort-of hover craft thing. It was a piece of printer on top of part of a headphone. It had a wheel in the front too. I tried to make it move with a sail. There was a fan that was covered by a piece of paper or “sail&#...

  • Posted On July 21, 2011
  • BY Rahul

Day 3 JunkBot

Today was the 3rd day of the workshop, and we worked on building our own JunkBot; a junkbot is basically something that you make through salvaging parts from old or unwanted household things, or junk, hence the name.  We had a few prototypes in mind, but...

Reflection on worksheet

Today we had a lesson on different kinds of circuits. We learned a lot about voltage, resistance, and current, such as when the change between parallel and series circuits and how. We also did some math, and then completed a very challenging set of works...

fifth day

Today we learned how to add a picture to our sketches. With this technique you can make simple animated sketches more complex and creative. For example, Kieu was able to make her penguin move and added a hat and a mouth. I wasn’t able to finish my P...

finished final project robot

we finnaly finnished our final robot. its called the beatlebot 2. it took us the whole day to complete it. we didnt think it would though cause its small. i had a fun time making it. when it hits something it hits the switch then it turns around. the moto...

diy robotics

Today me and Matthew built our very own bettle bot. It is a robot that was 1.5 volt motors attached to a AA battery holder. It took many tedious hours but it was very fun to watch it scuttle across the table.The attenas act as sensors so when they hit a ...

last day

On the last day the DIY robotics class built Arduino robots. it was fun building ours but it didn’t work. I truly had fun in this class i and i want to do more classes similar next summer. If someone asked me about this class i would suggest it 100%...

A not-bot

Our robot did not even come close to being completed. We had a really good idea, though. But due to numerous, impassable setbacks the robot does not work. It was supposed to be a light organ on wheels, but the body had holes, the motors did not work, we l...

Arduino robot

Today, me and my crew, built a robot with a arduino chip. It took a long time about 8 hours and we had to cut down on alot of feature,. For example, we couldn’t use the nunchuck and

Almost building a robot

Today me and my group of Noah and Justin tried to build and program a robot with an arduino that could light up and roll around but were not able to complete it due to the amount of time and some set backs so Justin has kindly decided to take it home and ...

The Robot by Rahul/Austin/Ashwin/Y

Today we built a rolling robot. It was made of peanut butter jar ends and CD-ROM casings, rubber bands, tape, LOTS OF TAPE, wires, and etc. It took about seven hours to make. Rahul was the Project Head, and mechanic. Ashwin as the Co-Head and Logistics ...

Final Project

Today, we worked on assembling a robot for our final project.  Due to some unexpected changes in events, and a lack of supplies, I decided to work on a mechanical, automatically turning robot car…mess…thing.  Sam dubbed it the “Samurai...