؜Sprint Brief

Students will design and build a playful drawing machine using motors. Program it to create patterns, then turn it into a game—challenge yourself or others to control it, complete drawing missions, or battle bots for the coolest designs.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

Different ways to create artwork using innovative mechanisms

to learn how movement can be used as a form of artistic expression through kinetic art.

Final Project Expectations

The final project will include a motor-powered mechanism that moves a drawing tool (pen, marker, etc.) to create visible marks or patterns on paper or another surface.

Students will custom-design the structure (using cardboard, wood, plastic, etc.) and ensure the machine can draw.

The machine will include a playful or competitive element:

1. This could be a solo challenge (e.g., trace shapes), a two-player game (e.g., battle drawing bots), or a collaborative mission (e.g., draw as many spirals in a time limit).

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؜There will be 6 core phases to the design sprint

Instructions

A good example of signals are "the launch of chatGPT" or "the fall of the iconic tunnel tree redwood" and good examples of drivers would be "artificial intelligence" or "climate change"

Then, identify signals (glimpses of the future we already see today) and drivers (what made the signal possible)



~15 min

؜Documentation + Art Exhibition

Create a drawing without holding the art instrument in your hand.

Create a final exhibition. Give the exhibition and art works titles. Invite an audience. Talk about your artwork.

؜5

؜Brainstorm ideas and sketch your machines movement in three frames. You will select from a menu of game challenges for your bot's design

Conceptualization

Bring your prototype sketch to life by building a cardboard model that recreates your movement.

Model Making

Add a touch of interactivity to your model by adding electronics to bring your machine's movement to life.

Interactivity Integrated

2

3

4

~35 min

~ 150 min

~ 50 min

~ 20 min

1

Warm up

~10 min

Look at past examples to get inspired

Precedent Research

؜6

Week 1

Week 2-4

Week4-5

Week 6

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Cardboard

Paint Brushes

Bristol Papers

Zip-ties

Straws

Metal Ruler

Pencil

Markers

Cutting Blade

Masking Tape

Hot Glue Gun

String

Brads

Popsicles and wooden skewers

Warm up!

؜Create a drawing without holding the pen/pencil/marker/paint-brush directly in your hand.

Note: you can extend your reach with other objects like a stick

Instructions

1. Brainstorm how you might make your drawing.
2. Think about what you want to draw
3. Make your drawing!

1.

A precedent is a real-world example or project that you can research to better understand ideas related to your work.

Precedent Research

2.

As pairs:

Go to the toolbox folder and you will find a library of various drawing machines

Select 1 project and answer the following questions on a sheet of paper:

1. What is the primary function of the drawing machine you studied?
2. In what ways do you find the machine innovative or creative?
3. Can you identify any unique materials or technologies used in the machine?

In brainstorming, students collectively generate ideas that will shape the concepts for their group projects. They typically begin by listing ideas individually, then come together to share and discuss them using a pin-up brainstorming board filled with writing, drawings, Post-it notes, and lively conversation.

Conceptualization

A. Brainstorming

What kind of movement will your machine use?

Answer each question and combine the answers to get your final idea!

1. What draws or makes the mark? makers, paint...
2. Drawing Pattern : circular? random? straight? wavy? dotted?
3. Bot Motion: Will it spin? Shake? Roll? Swing?

Examples

1. Paint+ Repeated Circle + Spin = Paint Fan
2. Markers + Random+ Shake = A Box with a vibrating motor and markers taped to the sides

3.

~10mins

Sketching in design thinking is a quick and visual way to explore, communicate, and develop ideas. It helps designers think through problems, test concepts, and share their thoughts with others—without needing polished drawings. Sketches can be rough, but they’re powerful tools for brainstorming, prototyping, and collaboration.

Conceptualization

3.

B. Sketching

Frame 1: Setup

Draw what your machine looks like before it starts moving. Show the parts: the drawing tool, moving parts, and structure.

Frame 2: In Motion

Draw your machine in action. Show what’s moving, how it moves, and how the drawing tool interacts with the surface.

Frame 3: The Mark It Makes

Draw or show the kind of art your machine creates on the page.

~20mins

How to Diagram

• Use multiple sketches in sequence
• Use arrows and text to explain
• Use different views (top, side, etc.)

B. Game Challenge

Let’s turn it into a game! Choose ONE of these fun challenges to guide how you’ll build or play with it:

1. Target Draw: Try to hit or draw on a target! Add a bullseye, shapes, or even a friend's drawing.
2. Speed Round: Set a timer—how much can your machine draw in 60 seconds?
3. Bot Battle: Compete with a friend—whose bot makes the wildest or most beautiful drawing?

Add anything it needs to help play the game: → a paper guide, a spinner, a timer, colors, or a place to mount your machine.

Give your game a fun name and write 1–2 simple rules (e.g., “Draw for 30 seconds. Stay inside the circle to win!”)

Conceptualization

3.

Prototyping is the process of turning your sketches and ideas into physical models that you can test and improve. It starts with drawing your concept, then building simple versions using materials to explore how it moves or works. Prototyping helps you test mechanisms (how parts move or connect) and kinetics (how motion happens), so you can find what works and what needs fixing.

Model Making

4.

You will first select choose 1-2 mechanisms that your machine would use to create the art. Then you will recreate the mechanisms using lo-fi materials.

For example

1. A swinging motion that can be used to drip or drag paint
2. Rotating Arm – A spinning part that can draw circles or spirals (e.g., like a spirograph or spinning marker).
3. Crank and Arm – A hand-turned crank that moves a pen back and forth (like an old sewing machine).

CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: SHAPING

Bending

Scoring

Curving

Faceting

Layering

Hinging

CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: JOINERY

Brads

Flanges

Brace

Skewer

Bend

Hinge

Slots

Butt Joint

CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: Mechanism

Gears

Scissor lift

Grabbing

Waving

Tentacle

Curving

Cam & Follower

Crank & Slider

Find all the resources for basic prototyping techniques and mechanisms in the toolbox!

Model Making

4.

Student Examples

Rotational + Linear Movement

Linear Movement

Rotational Movement

Interactivity is when your design can respond to people or the environment. It means your project doesn't just sit still—it can move, light up, make sound, or react when someone touches it, presses a button, or gets close. Adding interactivity makes your design more engaging and dynamic, turning it into something that can communicate or perform.

Interactivity Integrated

5.

Next, you’ll add electronics to power your mechanisms and bring them to life—this is where interactivity begins, letting your project move.

Interactivity Integrated

5.

Learn about motors in the "electronics" folder in the toolbox.

؜For your machine to spin (like a rotating arm, spinning platform, or turning a marker)...

→ Use a DC motor

Attach the motor directly to the moving part's axis (like a cardboard wheel, platform, or marker arm).

Interactivity Integrated

5.

؜Mechanims that work with DC Motors (Spinning/Continuous Motion)

1. Rotating Arm: Great for spin art or drawing rotating patterns
2. A simple arm attached directly to the motor shaft
3. Crank and Slider: Good for making an arm draw waves or zig-zags
4. A crank attached to the motor turns, which pushes a connected sliding arm back and forth
5. Cam + Follower: Perfect for gentle bouncing or lifting motions
6. A cam (off-center disk) spins on the motor shaft, pushing a cardboard arm up and down as it rotates

Interactivity Integrated

5.

Examples for DC motor

Document your work!

6.

Place your paper flat and pin it from each side so it doesn't move. Place your drawing bot and take a photo and record a video of your project moving and turn it into a gif.

؜

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؜Design a final exhibition.

1. Put the final drawings/artworks around the room in a visually pleasing way.
2. Give the exhibition a title.
3. Invite an audience to see your innovative drawings
4. Afterwards, sit in a circle and reflect on your experience. What kinds of drawing experiences did you like? Why?

؜Art Exhibition

6.

End of Challenge!