Drone at Code Club

We are putting our coding to the test at Code Club after school. pic.twitter.com/CcFi5Mg4PK

— St Luke's Primary (@DustonStLukes) May 24, 2016

Recently i have been taking a Parrot minedrone and the Tickle App (https://tickleapp.com/en-us/) to Code Club session, as an extra activity.

For those there actually programmed something that flies and it is quite engaging - having something you are controlling being able to move in all directions.


I wish the mini-drone had a little bit more battery time (I would suggest getting an extra battery). Combining with the drone and the Tickle App does add something to the experience, rather than just control it directly (though that is fun). The noise is also not to everyone's taste so it has to be used carefully in that context, but also from a safety point of view.

All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

BB-8, Droid I was looking for... - Tynkering

In a recent post controlling the Sphero BB-8 with the Tickle App was discussed.

This is not the only alternative software, the Tynker App can also control it.

This is also a graphical drag and drop programming tool, that you can connect certain 'toys' to. Though the App itself is about developing programming skills.










The Sphero BB-8 Droid can be connected to Tynker (or how I did it anyway) by:

• Clicking on the Create button on the opening screen;
• Clicking on Blank Template;
• Deleting the 'Actor' that has there and clicking on the + button in the top right hand corner of the screen;
• Clicking on connected toys and selecting the grey ball;
• On the main screen it should say spherobot with a code button at the side, click on the button;
• You should get a screen with some code for changing the colour shown and then moving in a square- you can change this for your own code.

Not all the commands, listed down the side, will work with the BB-8 - I restricted myself to the ones under common (star in the list).

The Tynker app is a nice tool anyway with lots of games related activities to try. Having the ability to connect and program certain devices is a benefit.

If you have comments or experiences with Tynker, Sphero BB-8 or Tickle app please add them.

All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

BB-8, this is the Droid I was looking for...

Previously I have shown the Sphero BB-8 rolling around the room under its own control. 

One of the features of the Sphero BB-8 Droid  is it programmable either by its own downloadable software but also by one of my favourite apps - TickleApp which has been discussed in previous posts. This app allows control of a quite an impressive range of devices using the same interface. Examples, some of which have been discussed previously (e.g Parrot Minidrone or Dash and Dot), are shown below. 

The App uses an graphical programming interface similar to Scratch or Blockly to produce code. The example here it a very simple one of:

• Spin twice for one second;
• Move roughly in a square;
• If the BB-8 collides (or is bumped) it is set to spin twice for a second.  

Ok, not the most sophisticated bit of coding; but it does demonstrates the simplicity of controlling this robot with the app. 

Sphero BB-8 Droid is great fun, and with the head appearing to float over the body and face in the direction of movement it is hard resist. The video below shows it action.

 All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.