The Designing Robots badge focuses on creating a simple robot and testing out different components to find the best design. We chose to do this badge alone rather than in the series of robotics badges.
Below is a list of activities my troop did for the Designing Robots badge. Find ideas for more Brownie and Junior badges here.
Start Simple
The starting point for our robot was a vibrating motor. I followed a common design called a “bristle bot”. I first explained how the vibrating motor worked. Then how to connect the motor to the battery pack by twisting the wires.
These battery packs worked well to hold the batteries safely, have an on/off switch, and wires to connect to the motor. The motors also had a sticky side to attach it to the battery pack.
Make it Move
Bristle bots are extremely simple in design and move around easily! The “bristle” is simply a toothbrush head. We always have a supply of extra toothbrushes at home too.
We cut off the toothbrush heads with wire cutters ahead of the meeting. The girls then attached the motor and battery to the toothbrush head with a rubber band. I chose to use rubber bands so the girls could swap out different bases.
Test Your Robots
The girls were divided into groups of four. After building their bristle bots they tested them out against each other. We created a “fighting ring” with wooden train tracks and the girls had a blast watching their robots battle it out. I provided extra wooden train track that could be used for racing the robots too.
Experiment Time
I provided a variety of materials for the girls to use in place of the toothbrush head – drink caps, egg cartons, pipe cleaners, etc. The girls swapped out the bases to see what worked best and why. They also created other challenges like mazes or obstacle courses.
Interestingly, the original toothbrush head was the most loved base!
Cute Little Robots
One thing I know about the girls in my troop, if you give them the opportunity to decorate something, they love it! I gave the girls googly eyes to add to the bristle bots which gave it a little personality.
