Tinker the Robot |
Meet Tinker the Robot. UC San Diego mechanical technology scientific discipline alumnus Kay Yang created him to learn too inspire immature children to play alongside robots.
Tinker the Robot is designed to appeal to both girls too boys – consummate alongside an LED pump too motorized tracks – too to suspension downwardly the procedure of coding too hardware.
“Each accessory is either an LED low-cal or a sensor,” said Yang. “Using color-coded cards, kids tin straight Tinker’s actions. The cards tell Tinker to plough an accessory low-cal on or off too how to react to feedback from his sensors.”
The bulk of programming is logic, says Yang, too i time y'all piece of employment out the logic, it’s slowly to insert the programming language.
Here are iii to a greater extent than things y'all should know close Tinker:
- Because Tinker uses Arduino-based code, kids who graduate from using the cards tin plug him into the estimator too reprogram him using C Programming.
- Tinker tin likewise hold upward an fine art project. Kids tin depict on most of his hardware, giving them the chance to run their imaginations to brand Tinker their own.
- He likewise comes alongside a downloadable lab notebook, designed to let on a kid to scientific note-taking early on.
As a trivial girl, Kay loved taking things apart too learning how they worked – except electronics. She couldn’t sympathize how an electronic circuit could pick out an object to life.
It wasn’t until she came to UC San Diego too enrolled inwards mechanical too aerospace technology scientific discipline professor Nate Delson’s Introduction to Engineering Graphics too Design (MAE3) class – where students pattern too attain robots from scratch for a contest – that she began to sympathize how electronics too code piece of employment together.
“It was the rootage fourth dimension got to play alongside robots, code too CAD software,” said Yang. “I learned that mechanical technology scientific discipline was a dandy check for me, but I felt that I was at a disadvantage because I hadn’t been introduced to these concepts at an before age.”
As Director of UC San Diego’s Mechanical Engineering Design Center, Nate Delson believes inwards project-based learning. To that end, MAE3 has lately incorporated 3D printing into its curriculum.
“3D printing has been used yesteryear engineers for over a decade to attain prototypes before manufacturing the existent thing, whatever that may be,” said Delson. “Now the printers are becoming a identify detail –in fact, many terms merely nether $600.”
Yang says she felt empowered to create something that would let on immature children to electronics – that’s where Tinker comes in.
“Now is such a dandy fourth dimension for makers,” said Yang. “I was able to buy a 3D printer too I’ve been producing all of my prototypes alongside it,” said Yang.
Yang hopes to hold upward able to laid out bulk production equally before long equally possible – but to practise that, she needs your help. You tin dorsum this projection yesteryear visiting Yang’s Kickstarter page here.
“We desire to acquire this off the terra firma equally before long equally possible – our children are our hereafter engineers, too I actually believe Tinker tin inspire them to hold upward innovators,” said Yang.
Tinker the Robot volition hold upward available alone on Kickstarter from May 4-June 4, 2015, alongside the rootage shipment to customers inwards tardily 2015/early 2016.
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