Robots and Physical Computing

Activity Sheet: Detecting and Logging Magnetism with a micro:bit (Python) Overview In this activity, you turn a BBC micro:bit into a magnetism data logger using Python. The micro:bit's built-in compass sensor measures magnetic force; your program sends the readings down the USB cable so the computer can draw live graphs of them. Based on the blog post Detecting and Logging Magnetism with a micro:bit . Time: about 45–60 minutes Learning objectives By the end of this activity, you will be able to: •        Explain that the micro:bit's compass is a sensor that measures magnetic fields. •        Write a Python loop that reads a sensor over and over. •        Send labelled data from the micro:bit to a computer using serial . •        Read a live graph and describe how a moving magnet changes the readings. What you need Item ...

In a recent post ( First play with a SPOKE capacitive touch MIDI board ), I shared some first impressions of getting the SPOKE board connected, trying the web-based examples, and using it as drums in GarageBand. At the end of that post, I mentioned that the next thing I wanted to try was looking at the coding side of things., image taken from https://www.spokeboard.com/ Because the SPOKE board acts as a MIDI controller, my mind immediately went back to Sonic Pi . As I mentioned in an earlier post ( Spooky Hot-Cross Buns - Sonic Pi ), I have no musical ability at all, but I really enjoy creating with Sonic Pi—it is free, fun, and a brilliant bit of software. Putting the two together seemed like an obvious next step. For this experiment, I connected the SPOKE board as before, but instead of using an installed desktop app, I ran the web version of Sonic Pi ( https://sonic-pi.net/code.html ) straight in Chrome with no special set-up. This is a really useful option when you are working on a...

20-minute primary activity: Seeing the physical world as data with microbit This is a short classroom or STEM-club activity for primary children using a pre-prepared BBC micro. The aim is not to spend the session building the whole data logger, but to let children quickly see that a small device can measure the physical world and show those measurements changing on a screen. This activity builds on two earlier posts: DIY Data Science with microbits , especially Method 1, the “Direct Link” approach, and Detecting and logging magnetism with a microbit . These have a lot more detail on what is going on and why. This activity has been used and refined with 12 groups of up to 15 children at a time. I would suggest getting them into groups of 2-3 around a computer and a microbit. What you need 1 micro, already programmed in MakeCode blocks USB cable connected to a computer MakeCode open in a Chrome-based browser A small magnet or set of magnets A torch, phone light, or simply a way of coveri...

How a drinks can, a small motor, and a cheap programmable controller can open a world of making, tinkering, and genuine engineering thinking — for kids and adults alike. Eggbot  There is something quietly radical about the Junkbot idea. It started not with a lesson plan or a product brief, but with a question: what can you actually make with the stuff lying around? Over nearly a decade of exploration, educator and maker Scott Turner refined a simple concept — a vibrating robot built from a drinks can, a small motor, and a handful of pens — into something that touches on environmental science, engineering, and computing all at once. This post is for the makers who like to build first and ask questions later, for parents who want to spark something in a curious kid on a weekend, and for educators looking to point people toward genuinely interesting projects. We are going to look at how you build one, and then think about where the idea can go next. Why junk? The word “junk” i...