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STEM Maker Materials

This guide features technology available at McQuade Library's ERC. While these resources support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, all MC students are encouraged to explore, tinker, experiment, create, and learn.

Meet Blue-Bot!

BlueBot Info

What is it?: Allows for the same controls and functions as the Bee Bot, see Bee Bot tab for more info, but adds a bluetooth tactile reader for a wireless control over the robot to give it commands in sequential order placed on the reader.

Blue-Bot is a simple robot that can operate on its own or via Bluetooth controlled by an Android, iOS, Mac, or Windows device. Blue-Bot is transparent so that students can see all of the parts that make it work. Switch the Blue-Bot on and it will light up. Place it on the ground and choose from the movement commands: forward, backward (which will move about 15 centimeters depending on the surface), left, and right (90-degree turns). A one-second pause command can be used as well. Blue-Bot will make noises as it moves, which can be turned off by a switch on the bottom. The Blue-Bot can hold 200 commands, which should allow students to explore the limits of any physical space. Once students have entered in all of their commands, they hit "GO" and observe what happens. The "X" button will allow students to clear out their commands and start again. The battery is said to last about six hours. After five minutes of inactivity, Blue-Bot will enter into sleep mode to help preserve power.

The Blue-Bot app has the same buttons as the Blue-Bot, which students use to control an on-screen Blue-Bot moving along the screen. The app is available only in English, but does allow teachers to record a voice-over for the main buttons (forward, backward, etc.) that will play when a student hits them. This would at least provide an opportunity for different languages to be used. Another benefit of the app is that students can see their commands sequentially and can re-arrange them without having to clear them out. The app has additional buttons to allow Blue-Bot to make 45-degree turns.

 

From Common Sense Media website

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