Hello all!

Please check out this video about the Arts & Bots Math-Science Partnership Project on the NSF STEM for All Video Showcase.

Join the conversation here! http://stemforall2016.videohall.com/presentations/785

We are no longer looking for volunteers for this program. Please check back for future opportunities.

The CREATE Lab is currently starting a project that targets 2nd through 5th grade students and is interested in hearing from teachers in that grade range. The Lab would like to inquire about big picture ideas and issues in these grades in order to start brainstorming where the capabilities of the CREATE Lab might be applicable.

We are seeking research volunteers to participate in 4 teacher focus groups to be held at Carnegie Mellon University. Focus groups will take place over the summer and fall. Total time commitment is 12 hours. Attendance for all sessions is encouraged, but not required. As a member of the focus group, teachers will determine appropriateness and applicability of designs presented by the CREATE Lab team while brainstorming hands-on technology project curriculum.

Focus group attendees will receive refreshments and parking compensation. All participants must be educators with elementary school experience.

Guest post by Tom Lauwers, Birdbrain Technologies

Birdbrain Technologies would like to invite Pittsburgh area high schoolers to join us for a free weekend of fun, creative making!

During ASSET STEM Education’s first annual summer camp, campers age 8-14 were given the opportunity to use recycled materials and CREATE Lab’s Visual Programmer software to build and program their own robot. ASSET facilitators provided hands on, concrete opportunities for the campers to learn about coding and programming before designing and programming their robot.  Specific attention was given to the components of the Hummingbird© kit; the hardware used in conjunction with the Visual Programmer software, and how these components attach to the controller. Campers then used what they learned along with their own imagination and innovation to produce one of a kind robotic creations. At the end of the session, campers not only shared their robots, but also shared their successes and failures as they persevered in the construction and programming of their personal robotic creations.

Check out their bots below:

Sue Mellon's robotic poetry class was used as an example of what education should look like in an opinion article about robotics and STEM education.

From the middle of the article:
"Instruction ends up looking different than your father's science class, as evidenced by the robotics poetry class offered at one innovative Pennsylvania middle school."

Check out the full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/11/opinion/bare-underwater-robot-lessons/
More info about the robotic poetry class: http://remakelearning.org/blog/2013/03/04/for-todays-students-creativity-matters/
Example bots: here and here 

The 7^th and 8^th grade students at St Philip School in Crafton, PA used the Arts and Bots program to create simple craft projects which they animated using the Hummingbird kits and visual programming software. 

Arts and Bots was the perfect program for our project which was a simple introduction to robots and programming. Objectives were to learn what components are needed to create and program a robot and to practice the step-by-step thought process used in programming. The students viewed the examples and excellent tutorials on the Arts and Bots Website, created craft creatures, and set out to plan which sensors, LEDs and outputs could be used to fit their bot’s “personality” and function.  Although time restrictions kept most projects at a simple level, learning objectives were met by every student and enthusiasm and interest remained high throughout the project. Ease of use of the Hummingbird kit and the drag and drop function of the visual programming software kept success within every student’s reach. Arts and Bots is a fabulous program – even the “reluctant techies” loved it!

CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER

Create-a-Bot

Ages 8-9, Full Day Camps 9 am – 3 pm

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/summer-camps-full-day-8-9/

Call 412.237.1637 or Register HERE 

June 16 – 20
July 21 – 25
Aug. 4 – 8

Create-a-Bot 

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/summer-camps-full-day-10-12/

Ages 10-12, Full Day Camps 9 am – 3 pm

Call 412.237.1637 or Register HERE

June 9 – 13
July 28 – Aug. 1
Aug. 11 – 15

Technology and imagination unite as you combine craft materials and robotic components to build and animate robotic creations. Using Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab's visual programming software and Hummingbird Robotics Kits, campers will engage in the artistic side of robotics.
$235 members / $250 non-members (price includes materials fee)

Register HERE

July 28 - Aug. 1

We will only be offering one week of this super awesome session! We will be using the fantastic Hummingbird robotics kit to teach programming. This versatile platform was designed at Carnegie Melon’s CREATE lab.

Sue Mellon, Gifted Support Coordinator in the Allegheny Valley School District used Arts & Bots as a way to introduce robotics to her STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) class. 

Students could build anything that they wanted as long as they met the following requirements:

• Have 6 moving parts
• Use a servo in a different way by either attaching a different bracket or by talking apart and attaching with something between the bracket and the servo body
• Use 6 LEDs
• Use 1 sensor
• Have a distinctly different set of commands for the sensor conditions
• Hide the wires

Here are a few examples from the class:

The Bots and Books Design Challenge, at The School of Information Sciences (the iSchool) at the University of Pittsburgh, saw eight teams of undergraduate and Masters students design, program and build a robot to illustrate a theme from a children’s book. Their ‘bots were judged by Brian Beaton, Bob Perkoski, Martin Weiss and Corey Wittig. Many memorable presentations took place, including a Valentine’s Day dancing Cinderella and a reenactment of Disney’s The Lion King. The judges had a difficult decision to make, but in the end they selected three winning teams: Team Pizza(Ty Houy, Mandy Kendall and Tom Robinson), first prize for Bunnicula; The Carnegie Crew (Michael Balkenhol, Georgiana Deming and Bonny Yeager), second prize for The Invention of Hugo Cabret; and The Notorious Cardigans (Angela Bradshaw, Emily Mross and Jourdan Walls), third prize for Jumanji. 

Here is the winning bot in action:

An introductory lesson about robots, including Arts & Bots, created by Zee Ann Poerio.

The Visual Programmer software has been updated to enable you to choose the directory where your Visual Programmer files are stored. So, when a student launches the app, the first thing s/he will do is tell the app where to store and find her/his files. 

The Installation and Connection Guide can be found HERE

The CREATE Lab Visual Programmer for Hummingbird and Finch has been updated. The update can be downloaded at: http://artsandbots.com/visualprogrammer/

Standalone versions are available for Mac, Windows and Ubuntu Linux. The Web Start version has been discontinued. If you have the Web Start version it will continue to work but you will be prompted to download the new version upon launching the program. A zip file version is also available for Linux users and users with complicated installation scenarios.

The software now automatically checks for updates every time the application is launched. If an update is available, the Settings tab (the one with the gear icon) will provide a link to download the latest version. To upgrade, simply download the latest version and repeat the installation steps. Your saved Expressions and Sequences will not be affected.

Java SE 6 or newer is still need to run the software and can be downloaded HERE

An updated version of the Installation and Connection Guide can be found HERE.

Installation Instructions for the Standalone Version:

1. Make sure you have Java SE 6 or later installed.

2. Go to: http://artsandbots.com/visualprogrammer/

3. Click the appropriate Download button for your robot (Hummingbird or Finch) and operating system (Mac OS, Windows, or Ubuntu Linux).

4. Installation:

• Mac OS: you will download a disk image file (.dmg). Double-click it to mount and open the disk image. Once it is open, simply drag the Visual Programmer application to your computer’s Applications folder. Once it has copied, you may eject the disk image.

• Windows: you will download an installer file (.msi). Double-click to open it and follow the installation wizard steps to install the Visual Programmer.

• Ubuntu Linux: you will download a package file (.deb). Double-click to open it and then select Install Package.

5. Running the Visual Programmer software:

• Mac: double click the CREATE Lab Visual Programmer application in your Applications folder.

• Windows: select the CREATE Lab Visual Programmer application in the Start menu, or double-click the icon on your Desktop.

• Ubuntu Linux: double-click the CREATE Lab Visual Programmer application icon.

6. If you run the software and see a screen like one of the ones below, you’re done!

This summer, the Carnegie Science Center held six summer robotics camps for ages 8-12. Using the CREATE Lab's visual programmer and Hummingbird Kits, campers combined craft materials and robotic components to build and animate artistic robotic creations. This camp was one of the most popular camps they ran this summer. Check out their bots below.

Last year Diane Lally, a visual arts teacher at South Fayette Middle School, taught a 12-week section based on the theme “Monsters and Myth”. Her 8^th grade students had to create a robot that was either a monster or a mythological god/goddess. Check out their bots below.

Twenty-eight participants from ten organizations attended the Spring themed April 26th, 2013 Arts & Bots workshop. Thank you to everyone who participated, it was a successful and inspiring event.

Arts & Bots was recently highlighted in a White House "We the Geeks" Google+ Hangout on robots. Matthew Mason, the director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, showed off the King Tut bot and explained how robots can be used in an educational setting.

Skip to 6:00 to see the bot in action.

More about this Hangout can be found here.

Link to the timelapse video.

Using the the Hummingbird Kit, kit boxes and craft supplies, Jenn (from the CREATE Lab) built a second Arts & Bots dragon. This time with butterfly wings! The dragon uses all four servo motors to move the neck, mouth and two wings. It also has tri-color LEDs in the eyes and single color LEDs in the fire-breath and illuminated heart. The tail wags using a DC motor attached to a modified quick return mechanism constructed from popsicle sticks. The body, head and neck are constructed from the original packaging of the Hummingbird Kit. The wings are constructed from foam, popsicle sticks and some metal pieces and then attached to servo powered push-pull linkages inside the body. The dragon was then decorated using markers, highlighters, craft foam, googly eyes and craft gems.

We documented the entire process using a Canon Rebel T2i to take a still photo every 5 seconds. We processed the resulting 6,925 images using TimeMachine Creator software to make an explorable timelapse video where you can control the speed, decide where to zoom in and out, and be able to explore each detail of the construction on your own pace.  

Total construction time: 10 hours 

Challenge question: How many hot glues sticks were used in creating the purple dragon? Watch the timelapse to find out.

The original green Arts & Bots dragon was thrilled to meet the new purple dragon. The purple dragon is now on-tour around the United States at expos and shows with our friends at BirdBrain Technologies and Qupiron. See the video of the dragons together below.

A group of teachers from Putnam County took their teaching expertise to a new dimension Tuesday afternoon during a training session at the Huntington Museum of Art. (article from the Herald-Dispatch)  

Register HERE 

When:

Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 9am – 1pm

Where:

Carnegie Mellon University 

Gates Center, Gates 6115

4800 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Contact:

Clara Phillips

clara@cmu.edu

We have updated our Arts & Bots Workshop presentation. Please check out the new slides below!

Introduction to Arts & Bots Workshop (2013 Version)

C-MITES Summer Program 

(Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students Summer Program)

Application Deadline April 5, 2013

Anatomy and Robotics

 July 8-12

Here’s a class for the aspiring physician, scientist or roboticist!

Learn the anatomical concepts of the bones and muscles that make up the human arm. Dissect a chicken wing to see the components and how it functions. Discuss extension and flexion of the arm and how the elbow and wrist move. Diagram the muscles and bones and make life-sized models. Program a circuit board and make your arm model come to life. Use servos, LEDs, and sensors as you apply robotic technology to make your anatomical model move in a very realistic way. When science meets technology you will be amazed -- we’re not twisting your arm! Grades 5-7.

(Minimum EXPLORE Science Score=10)

Regular Price:$485, Discounted Price:$410 

http://www.cmu.edu/cmites/summer_program.html

CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER

Create-a-Bot

Ages 8-9, Full Day Camps 9 am – 3 pm

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/summer-camps-full-day-8-9/#crea...

Camp registration for non-members begins Feb. 22.

Call 412.237.1637 or Register HERE 

June 17 – 21
July 22 – 26
Aug. 5 – 9

Technology and imagination unite as you combine craft materials and robotic components to build and animate robotic creations. Using Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab's visual programming software and Hummingbird Robotics Kits, campers will engage in the artistic side of robotics.
$235 members / $250 non-members (price includes materials fee)

Create-a-Bot 

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/summer-camps-full-day-10-12/#cr...

Ages 10-12, Full Day Camps 9 am – 3 pm

Camp registration for non-members begins Feb. 22.

Call 412.237.1637 or REGISTER HERE 

June 10 – 14
July 29 – Aug. 2
Aug. 12 – 16 

Technology and imagination unite as you combine craft materials and robotic components to build and animate robotic creations. Using Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab's visual programming software and Hummingbird Robotics Kits, campers will engage in the artistic side of robotics.
$235 members / $250 non-members (price includes materials fee)

Based on popular request, the Arts & Bots team has created a video which gives a brief tutorial on how to modify the motor in the Hummingbird Kit for easier gluing and attachment. 

This method, developed by Tom Lauwers of BirdBrain Technologies (thanks Tom!), uses materials already included in each kit and a phillips-head screwdriver (not included).

The device, built using 2 narrow servo horns and 2 screws from the servo accessories bags, is placed over the motor output shaft and tightened to snugly fit against the flat sides of the shaft. The device can then be attached to other surfaces using hot glue and other adhesives.

Watch the video below to see how: 

-Arts & Bots Team

Here is the presentation from the PETE&C Presentation Session on:

Arts & Bots: Making Interdiscplinary Robots with Zee Ann Poerio and Jennifer Cross

Learn how Arts & Bots from the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University combines craft materials with robotics and visual programming to enable students to create interactive robots. This project-based approach engages and empowers K-12 students, supports standards and promotes technological fluency across disciplines from art history to anatomy.

Sue Mellon, Gifted Support Coordinator in the Allegheny Valley School District integrated Arts & Bots into her 8^th grade Language Arts class. The project served as a culminating activity for a poetry unit, giving students an exciting anchor for the unit, and allowing them to practice their poetry analysis skills. Students worked in teams to analyze a poem and then create a scene for their poem. 

The Human Seasons by John Keats

"I learned the value of teamwork...we had to depend on each other to get it done."

The Pasture by Robert Frost

"I learned that there is a lot of troubleshooting that you have to do. Sometimes when things don't work out you have to take an alternate route"

Theme in Yellow by Carl Sandburg

"This all requires a lot of patience"

El Dorado by Edgar Allan Poe

"I learned that if you keep an open mind with the group you are assigned to work with then you can do anything."

Bright Star by John Keats

"I learned to always have an open mind about what you can do if it doesn't work."

A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree by Emily Dickinson

"I learned that it is very hard to work with robots and sometimes robots don't like to do what you tell them and they have a mind of their own"

The Sun Has Long Been Set by William Wordsworth

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Decmeber 3, 2012 Arts & Bots workshop, it was a successful and inspiring evening. Participants included twenty-four educators from 17 different organizations. They all built and programed robots inspired by the topic of winter. Many of the robots created can be seen below.

Penguin

"The most challenging part was thinking of what all I wanted him to do"

Hot Air Balloon

"There was a lot of problem solving, mechanical wise"

Misletoe

Pittsburgh Penguin

Santa

Salvation Army

"I think the kids will love this!"

Snowman

"I like that you see something immediate when you change things ... the abiltiy to adjust it"

Reindeer

Holiday Shoppers

Snowflake

Snowman 2

Snowman 3

Penguin 2

AttentionBot’s purpose is to conduct researches in how to keep human attention. We are interested in communication inconsistency meaning that a person’s behaviors and speeches are inconsistent. In design field, people call the inconsistency “anti-affordance” meaning that the form and the function are unrelated. This leads to our research question: can anti-affordance robot designs attract and keep more human attention? We design two appearances (kind-looking Santa and evil-looking witch) and two characters (mean and nice). The kind-looking Santa with mean character and the evil-looking witch with nice character are anti-affordance robots. The other two are affordance robots. The robot asks the participant to mimic the sound that it says. The nice robot is encouraging and friendly while the mean robot is a terrible tease. Although the results of the experiment did not show significant differences in anti-affordance and affordance robots, we found that people got confused in identifying the character while interacting with anti-affordance robots. We conclude that for short term interaction, the influence level of appearance is larger than the one of character.

As part of Professor Illah Nourbakhsh's Principles of Human Robot Interaction course, our team developed a power-seeking robot using the Arts and Bots platform.