؜Sprint Brief

You will design and build playful bots that come alive through mechanisms. Your bots will enter the arena to race, push, battle, or team up in fun and unexpected ways. Through hands-on experimentation, you’ll explore how to create motion, interaction, and personality—transforming simple mechanisms into lively bots that compete and play games together.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

Design and build creative machines that battle, race, or challenge each other in game-like arenas

You will learn how motion and mechanics can turn simple designs into bots that compete, push, and play games together.

Final Project Expectations

The final project can include a motor-powered mechanism that controls movement—pushing, racing, or battling against other bots through creative motion. Otherwise, you need to include manual mechanical designs.

Students will custom-design the structure of their bots and ensure each machine can move and compete in the arena.

Each bot will include a playful or competitive element, such as completing a challenge, defending a zone, or outlasting opponents in a series of fun arena games..

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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)



Interactivity Integrated

؜Bring your bots to life by integrating motors with laser-cut

؜Brainstorm ideas and sketch your bot movement in action.

Create the blue print drawings that will help you build your mechanism

Conceptualization

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

Model Making

Form groups of 4 & Look at examples to get inspired

Precedent Research

Testing & Refinements

Documentation

؜Head to the Arena to compete! Group competition!

Session 1

60mins

Session 2-3

120 mins

Session 4

60 mins

Session 5

60 mins

Session 6

60 mins

The design process will include these steps:

SPRINT STEPS

؜Competition Time!

Test your bots and make any needed changes. Take photos and videos (gif) of your work.

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

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Session 1

Precedent Research

1.

؜Form a group of 4! This is your group for the whole sprint.

Precedent Research

1.

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

1. What is the primary function of the bot?
2. What type of movement does it utilize? Observe how motion is created (wheels, gears, motors, levers).
3. In what ways do you find the bot innovative or creative?
4. Can you identify any unique materials or technologies used in the machine?

Create a quick sketch that explains how the bot works ( motion, technologies, shape ...)

NOTE: There is an example on the next slide...

؜Warhead Analysis

Primary Function: Warhead is a control and burn bot. Its primary goal is to use its massive articulated pincers to "grapple" or trap an opponent, lifting them to compromise their traction while using high-output flamethrowers to cook their internal electronics.

Innovation & Creativity: Most bots are "boxes with weapons," but Warhead uses a biological, predatory shape. Its innovation lies in its "distressed" aesthetic combined with a functional multi-weapon system (clamping + fire), which forces opponents to defend against both physical crushing and thermal damage.

Unique Materials & Tech: It utilizes aerospace-grade aluminum and titanium for its curved "wings" and chassis to maintain a high strength-to-weight ratio. The most unique tech is its custom butane/propane ignition system integrated directly into the clamping mechanism, allowing it to maintain a steady flame even during high-impact collisions.

EXAMPLE

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.

1 - ENCOURAGE WILD IDEAS

2 - SUSPEND JUDGMENT

4 - BUILD ON IDEAS

5 - BE VISUAL

3 - GO FOR QUANTITY

Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps.

Don’t shoot down someone else’s idea.

Aim for as many ideas as possible.

Build and expand on the ideas of others.

Sketch your ideas.

Conceptualization

Before designing your bot, choose one arena challenge. Your bot’s mechanism and movement should help it perform well in this game.

Once you pick a challenge, the group of four will split into two teams of two. Each team will design and build a bot to compete against the other in the same arena. You may switch pairs if another group is interested in the same challenge.

1.2

Conceptualization

A. Select one game challenge to design for !

1.Ball Launch Challenge: Bots use mechanisms to shoot or roll a ball into a target zone or bucket. Points for accuracy or distance.

2.Block Knockdown: Bots use a lever, arm, or spinning mechanism to knock down stacked blocks in an opponent’s zone.

3.Ping-Pong Ping: Bots flick or launch ping-pong balls into moving targets or small baskets. Use different angles, speeds, or “moving targets” on the arena.

4.Catapult Battle: Bots fling small soft objects at an opponent’s target (like knocking over a cone or ball).

Variation: Give each bot a limited number of “shots” to score points before the round ends.

You can think of one outside that list!

1.2

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

؜Team Battle Bot Design & Strategy

As a team of four, we'll split into two pairs, and each pair will design a bot.

Also, as a team, make a list of the components you’ll need to build your battle arena — think about the walls, boundaries, obstacles, decorations, or any special features that will make the arena exciting and functional.

1.3

؜Project Sketch

1. What is the drive system? (2-wheel, 4-wheel, tank, walker, etc.)
2. What is the weapon system? (saw, spinner, melty, etc.)
3. Any unique features of the chassis design?
4. Any extra or unique features? (grabber, ability tooperate upside-down, etc.)

Conceptualization

1.3

Conceptualization

؜Storyboard

Frame 1: Show the parts: the base structure, moving mechanisms, and any tools or arms used to push, launch, or interact with objects.

Frame 2: In Action

Draw your bot in the arena during the game. Show which parts are moving, how your bot propels or interacts with objects, and how it competes with other bots.

Frame 3: The Result / Impact

Draw or show the outcome of your bot’s action—objects it moved, targets it hit, blocks it knocked down, or balls it launched.

1.3

How to Diagram

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

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

Session 2-4

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.

You will first undertake a safety orientation and an overview of cardboard 101 (toolbox).

؜Model Making

2nd

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

Spin

Pulley

؜Slider

You will first select 1–2 mechanisms that your bot will use to compete in the arena. Then you will recreate these mechanisms using lo-fi materials.

For example:

1. Rotating Spinner – A spinning part that can push, bump, or knock over objects in the arena.
2. Pushing Arm / Ram -A straight arm that extends or swings forward to push objects or other bots (scissor lift)
3. Catapult / Launcher - A spring-loaded or lever-based mechanism to fling balls, blocks, or small items toward targets.
4. Claw or Grabber - A simple claw that opens and closes to pick up objects and move them to a target zone.
5. ؜Pendulum / Swinging Arm - A swinging piece that hits or knocks over objects in its path repeatedly.
6. Launcher with Elastic Band - Use rubber bands to store energy and release it to propel objects quickly.

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

؜Model Making

2nd

Student Examples

Student Examples

Desk Critiques

Group Feedback

Kinds of Feedback

There are three forms of feedback. Understanding these can help us understand the conversations we have with our teams and improve our own ability to react to and use feedback to strengthen our designs.



Reaction-Based

Feedback

Direction-Based

Feedback

Question-based Feedback

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X



Feedback time!

Teachers are going to move around the class and give feedback to each group!

Make sure you have your research, sketches, and prototype.

High Fidelity prototyping

Digital Fabrication is the process where your ideas become real objects. Once you’ve designed something, you can use tools like 3D printers or laser cutters to bring it to life. The 3D printer builds your design layer by layer in plastic or other materials, while the laser cutter can cut or etch shapes precisely from wood, cardboard, or acrylic. It’s like turning your sketches and digital drawings into real, touchable creations!

Every team must improve their design by adding at least one laser-cut part. You can combine both: use laser/XTool for parts that need precision, and kit pieces for parts you want to play with or test.

You will also add electronics to make it work as wanted!

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.

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Motor

Battery Holder

Batteries

Alligator clips

Session 4

CREATING THE CIRCUIT

Design the object you want your motor to spin. 

How does it attach to the motor shaft?

9v Battery

Geared Motor

Either use crocodile clips

or

if you have a battery pack use the wires to connect the battery to the DC motor

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DC Motor Circuit

Interactivity Integrated

؜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

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Device for photography

Your Project

Session 5-6

Document your work!

Take a photo and record a video of your project moving and turn it into a gif.

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؜Time for the battle!

Competition

End of Challenge!