About Robotics

K-12 STEM Outreach

CAMID offers hands-on, project-based experiences to encourage students in K–12 schools to pursue STEM-related fields. These experiences are hyper-motivating and give students the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and math in ways that can be mistaken for fun. Some of these activities include Battle of the Electronic Bands, where bandmates design and build their own instruments; BristleBots, where students create their own chaotic robot out of a toothbrush and pager motor; Make-Tetris, where students build a playable handheld game; Bluetooth Speaker manufacturing; and a Cyber:bot experience that teaches students of all ages Python programming, cybersecurity concepts and electronic prototyping.

Past Workshops

BristleBots!
What do you get when you cross a toothbrush, a battery, and a pager motor? A BristleBot! A Bristlebot is a hilariously simple friction-defying robot with a mind of its own. Students will learn about current trends in robotics, friction, center of gravity, and Newton’s laws of motion during this lesson while having a blast racing and creating weird art with their Bristlebot robots.

912.P.12.3: Interpret and apply Newton’s three laws of motion
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.

Jitterbug Into My Heart!
In this activity students will bug-out creating small vibrating robots that will race using wires for legs. What will you do to make yours go faster than the others? Will your jitterbug be able to make it through the obstacle course and on to victory? Students will learn how to solder, about resistors, LEDs, and vibration motors.

912.P.12.3: Interpret and apply Newton’s three laws of motion
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.

Snappity Snap Circuits
Electronics are everywhere! Learn basic engineering and electronics by building circuits. Learn how to read simple schematics and create sirens, LED circuits, spacey circuits, and more while learning about resistors, switches, series, and parallel circuits. Circuit after circuit, you will encourage that budding electrical engineer that lives inside all of us.

CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.01 : Identify the characteristics of series, parallel, and combination electrical circuits.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.03 : Construct physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.02 : Describe the basic electrical circuits.

Deck the Halls with Bows of Solder
Learn how to solder by creating a beautiful colorful LED flashing Christmas Tree. You will learn how to do basic soldering on three different PCB boards that make up the shape of a Christmas tree. Along the way, you will learn about LEDs, transistors, resistors, and more. This brightly lit Christmas tree is an excellent introduction to soldering.

CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.03 : Construct physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.02 : Describe the basic electrical circuits.

Battle of the Electronic Bands
You and your bandmates will put together a band that features three electronic musical instruments. The catch is that each instrument must be designed and built. Your kit will feature a Makey-Makey, an Arduino kit, and a small keyboard that you must assemble and solder. Once your instruments are working, you and your bandmates will decide on a band name and then write a song to be performed at the Battle of the Electronic Bands!

CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.01 : Identify the characteristics of series, parallel, and combination electrical circuits.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.03 : Construct physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.02 : Describe the basic electrical circuits.

Make Tetris!
Learn how to solder while keeping true to your gamer roots. In this session you will take an assortment of components such as PCB boards, buttons, and integrated circuits to build one of the greatest games in the history of video games. When finished, this handheld USB powered will provide hours of enjoyment and the satisfaction of having built it yourself.

CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.03 : Construct physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.02 : Describe the basic electrical circuits.

Salsa Manufacturing - Bluetooth Speakers!
Learn how to manufacture your very own Bluetooth speaker. In this two-day workshop you will learn how to use Siemen’s Solid Edge software to design your own case for the speaker. On the second day you will assemble the circuit and test your speaker with, you guessed it, salsa music! Afterward you can celebrate your achievement with chips and salsa and dance to your heart’s content!

CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.06 : Demonstrate an understanding of basic electricity and electronics.
CTE-TECED.68.ELCTEC.02.03 : Construct physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.
CTE-TDL.68.TSPMAR.11.02 : Describe the basic electrical circuits.

Hello World! Meet MATLAB
MATLAB is software that allows you to build apps, create user interfaces, plot functions, do matrix manipulations, interface with computer programs written in other languages, and more. MATLAB is bottomless in terms of how useful it is. If you are an engineer, scientist, economist, or just a curious tinker you are going to want to use MATLAB. This session is geared toward the beginner so don’t worry. You might just find it easy to use!

912.CS-CP.1.1 Evaluate effective uses of Boolean logic (e.g., using not, or, and) to refine searches for individual and coll...
912.CS-CP.1.3 Analyze and manipulate data collected by a variety of data collection techniques to support a hypothesis.
912.CS-CP.1.4 Collect real-time data from sources such as simulations, scientific and robotic sensors, and device emulators,...