|
|
The Wiggle Bot
Science |
Technology
|
Engineering |
Mathematics
|
Electrical energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits and can be generated from a range of sources (ACSSU097)
|
Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions (ACTDEP024)
|
Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use (ACTDEK023)
|
N/A
|
"Our whole family were so impressed with the scribblebots robot that my daughter came home with.
We sent videos of it to family in England, and our neighbour took it over to his house to show his kids. Thank you, great to see such awesome work happening at school." - Parent of Year 5 Student |
Training in our Space
The Design Brief
We were challenged to create a Wiggle Bot using a circuit and motor to power the creation. One of our greatest challenges was attempting to get the texta legs aligned to balance our Wiggle Bots. Once we have created a stable product we attached a peg to the top of the motor as a de-stabilser that causes the wiggle motion as seen in the below video. From here we were able to personalise our Wiggle Bots and be creative in our design, including creating a Wiggle Chicken!
|
The final products: making our technology effective through testing.
Our School Makerspace
The Girls and the Orange Bags
Arriving in the classrooms the Year 5 students were already excited to see us. They saw us carrying new bags, this time orange, and were desperate to find out what was inside. They knew from our last project that an engaging and inspiring learning activity was about to take place. The gathered on the mat and from my orange bag I pulled out a Wiggle Bot. The girls chatted excitedly as we demonstrated what the product was designed to do.
The girls returned to their desks. Eager to begin they emptied their orange bags and looked through the items inside.
"Inside each of your bags, you have everything you need to create your own Wiggle Bot. So where do you think we should start?"
The girls returned to their desks. Eager to begin they emptied their orange bags and looked through the items inside.
"Inside each of your bags, you have everything you need to create your own Wiggle Bot. So where do you think we should start?"
"Students use the term “power” instead of energy when discussing what is stored inside of a battery. Although “power” is not technically correct, the fact that students are thinking about how energy transforms itself from one form to another is encouraging, since they know that something inside the battery flows through the conductor, then to the motor, and results in movement of the motor. " - Engineering Student |
Making the Wiggle Bots
Initially the students were excited about where to put the eyes on their Wiggle Bot; however we steered the girls towards thinking about creating the technology before decorating it. Immediately the girls began discussing the creation of a circuit, referring to their experiences with the previous project and using familiar terminology. Students described the importance of closed circuits for the flow of energy from the battery to the motor, and explained that their wiring had to be done effictively to ensure the circuit stayed in tact.
Design Challenge
The girls then had to decide where they would place their motor and battery holder for it to be the most effective. Later this would lead to questions about the difference in the drawing patterns. Some student struggled to keep their circuits in tact while using electrical tape to secure the motor and battery holder to their cup. This was a trial and error process and the students began to collaborate and assist each other so they could all progress. The next stage of the design challenge was the Texta "legs" of the Wiggle Bot. If these are not even in length and balance, and connected securely, the Wiggle Bot will fall over. This was definitely one of the more difficult tasks of the project, with girls finding it hard to space the legs out while also making the points even. The girls soon discovered that if they made their legs too long or too short it also heavily effected the balance and often the Wiggle Bots would topple over. The students collaborated by asking each other their strategies for the placement of the legs, and were soon helping each other by holding Textas in place while they were being taped. |
"Persistence was the theme of the day. One of the students said how one thing they learnt was that you had to keep trying even when you feel like giving up if you wanted to have a cool wiggle-bot in the end. This is a highly powerful statement, as well as encouraging since it came from a student."
- Engineering Student
- Engineering Student
That Tricky Peg
|
Making it Aesthetically Pleasing Is Not That Simple
At this stage some of the girls had raced ahead and were beginning to design how to decorate their Wiggle Bots. They were given eyes, feathers and pom poms. Mant of the girls wanted to give the Wiggle Bot large feather crests; however when they tested this design the peg would hit the feathers. They continued to trial different designs and were prompted to think about whether their designs changed the movement of the Wiggle Bot.
The decorations were adhered to the product with a hot glue gun. This was done either by a pre-service teacher or future engineer for safety reasons. Students were asked what they thought was happening with the science of the hot glue gun. Many were able to recall the soldering iron from the first activity and made comparisons.
"It is kind of like the soldering - is that the word? - iron from the first activity. The glue is made really hot so that it is a liquid, then it cools to a solid at room temperature and the decorations get stuck inside it and stay. The stringy bits are when the glue still connected to the gun kind of cools and goes a bit hard."
At this stage some of the girls had raced ahead and were beginning to design how to decorate their Wiggle Bots. They were given eyes, feathers and pom poms. Mant of the girls wanted to give the Wiggle Bot large feather crests; however when they tested this design the peg would hit the feathers. They continued to trial different designs and were prompted to think about whether their designs changed the movement of the Wiggle Bot.
The decorations were adhered to the product with a hot glue gun. This was done either by a pre-service teacher or future engineer for safety reasons. Students were asked what they thought was happening with the science of the hot glue gun. Many were able to recall the soldering iron from the first activity and made comparisons.
"It is kind of like the soldering - is that the word? - iron from the first activity. The glue is made really hot so that it is a liquid, then it cools to a solid at room temperature and the decorations get stuck inside it and stay. The stringy bits are when the glue still connected to the gun kind of cools and goes a bit hard."
The main issue when decorating the Wiggle Bot was designing where to put the items. If the students wanted wings or head feathers, they had to make sure they did not get in the way of the peg. Not only would this damage their product, but the Wiggle Bot would then not move properly. The girls were also asked to decide whether or not the decorations changed the way that the Wiggle Bot moved and created patterns. The girls were able to make some predictions and test the product before and after decoration. |
The Working Product