IT Tree with Hackspace

It so happened that a month before the new year, our hackspace was invited to participate in one interesting event - a tree for children of IT-shnik. Or, in other words, in the IT-tree.

What is a classic Christmas tree for children? I will cite a number of associations:

• Snow Maiden;
• Santa Claus;
• Christmas tree;
• children in the costumes of hares and snowflakes;
• contests;
• presents.

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Our Christmas tree should have contained all these components. At least partially. At the same time, it was necessary to elegantly integrate into this action the components associated with technical creativity. Actually, it was for this component that Julia and Polina from IT-People turned to us.



Since one of the key areas of our hackspace is robotics, it was decided to include some high-tech interactive in the chain of events of a classic holiday. Something related to electronics and design. Some residents of our hackspace (including me) have experience in teaching robotics to children, so there has already been a rough idea of ​​what we will face.

What can be offered to children of 6-10 years? So that everyone was interested - and the smallest and those who are older. Yes, and held in a limited time, because children do not know how to sit still for a long time.

We considered different options: assembling paper robots (static, jumping on elastic bands , and with vibration motors on board), designing a robot from cardboard and servo drives, creating a greeting card with LEDs, creating a vibrobot on felt-tip pens.

Cutting the details of robots out of paper, and even then gluing them is a very tedious task. Obviously not for 40 minutes (but one task lasts so much). To contact the servomotors and the controller did not because of the cost of components. Therefore, we stopped at the last two options: an LED card and a vibrobot with a marker chassis.

The LED card is cardboard, foil, tape and 4 flashing LEDs. The challenge is to lay the power lines to each LED. Initially, they wanted to use a conductive marker pen, but because of the high cost of the latter, they decided to use ordinary food foil and scotch tape. The card is powered by a flat battery 2032. It looks like this:







A vibrobot is a cardboard cup, rubber bands, felt-tip pens, a vibromotor and batteries. Everything is quite cheap. The only caveat - for the sake of experiment, we made a pseudocomputer for the vibrobot :) Such a box with LEDs and a buzzer that simulates a stormy computational work. Read more about the vibrobot in the next article.



The result was such a plan of action:

1) Children meet the Snow Maiden, guess riddles, play games - spend excess energy.
2) Watch some pictures and videos about robots. Listen to a little story about robotics, answer simple questions. Involved, in general.
3) Make an e-card with LEDs.
4) Snow Maiden connects again. Children relax a bit, study and touch robots from our hackspace. Manage robo-head Fritz.
5) Make vibrobot.
6) All together launch vibrobot on large sheets of paper in the center of the hall.
7) Receive gifts, say goodbye to the Snow Maiden.

All about everything takes about two hours. Here's what we got:

Manufacturing vibrobot:



Running machines on a common field:



Is there life in the vibrobot?



Residents of the Hackspace: Karel's robo-head (aka Fritz), controlled by a joystick and next to it a 3D-printed walking blue creature. As an elf, your humble servant:



Happy fathers:







But one robot technician completes his postcard. In general, children are much more likely than adults to finish everything.





Here is another postcard:



A small demonstration of a blue creature:



But an interview with a robo-head:



Finally, the deadly battle of vibrobot:



In general, the holiday was a success. The children received some new knowledge and had fun. Adults ... also had a good time :) We received a lot of new information on how to conduct events with young children.

There is an idea to continue this tradition, but in the context of workshops on robotics and electronics for children. And the next new year, be sure to get Santa Claus (can Santa from futurama?). Dress the children in themed costumes. We will invent new tasks for all hackspaces .