This document provides information about robots and building basic circuits to power LED lights on a paper bag robot. It discusses that robots have computers to make decisions, inputs to sense information, and outputs to take actions. Examples of everyday robots are given. The document then guides making a paper bag robot and building simple circuits with batteries, copper tape, and LEDs to light up the robot. It demonstrates making single LED and parallel LED circuits. Students are instructed to decorate their robots and add working light circuits. The document concludes with having students assemble in groups to make music and choreograph dances in their robot costumes.

1. STEAM Human
Robots
Teacher Guide
Amy Zschaber
azschaber@stancoe.org

2. Robots in the World
• We always think of
Robots in movies
• Human Characteristics
• Learning
• Emotions
• While there have
been advances in
Artificial Intelligence
(AI)….
2
Image 2-5, Ref - see slide 17-18 From:
 https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/umo_robotsandhumans_less1

3. Robots in the World
• …most robots look and
act nothing like what
we imagine in movies.
• In fact, many everyday
objects are robots, even
though you may not
have ever noticed.
3Image 6-8, Ref - see slide 17-18
 From:
 https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/umo_robotsandhumans_less1

4. History of Robots
http://goo.gl/tKYh7q (2:37 mins)

5. 5
What is a robot?
1. What do you mean by the term ‘robot?’
2. What are the main parts of a robot?
3. What do people do to make a robot move?
 From:
 https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/umo_robotsandhumans_less1

6. 6
What is a robot?
1. A robot is a machine that senses (gathers
information), thinks (uses information), and
acts (does work).
2. The parts of a robot are
A computer that needs to be programmed
(to make decisions)
Inputs (to ‘sense’ via sensors)
Outputs (to ‘act’, e.g., via motors)
3. Humans program robots using software
telling it precisely what to do, step by step.
 From:
 https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/umo_robotsandhumans_less1

7. What Makes Something a Robot? #1:
A Computer (to help it ‘make decisions’)
• There is one
characteristic that
ALL robots have:
– They are ALL
controlled by a
computer
• Not necessarily a
computer like the
one you have at
home!
• Computers come
in all shapes and
sizes.
Believe it or not, these all
are computers!
7From:
https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/umo_robotsandhumans_less1

8. What Makes Something a Robot? #2:
Inputs (to help it ‘sense information’)
A porch light that comes on when it “senses” something nearby is a robot.

9. A roomba vacuum cleaner is a robot. The robot
output is how and why the robot moves.
What Makes Something a Robot? #3:
Outputs (to help it ‘make actions’)

10. Today, YOU are
going to become
a robot!
1. Your brain will be
the robot
computer
2. Your eyes, nose,
and ears will be
the robot sensors
3. Your art and
movements will
the robot output

11. Place your
paper bag in
front you like
this:
Text side up
Opening at
bottom

12. Draw these
lines

13. Cut out the
neck opening

14. Cut out the
arm openings

15. Draw a line
down the
center

16. Cut only the
top side of
the bag

17. Open the bag
to look at the
arm holes

18. Cut out any
extra paper in
the arm holes

19. Flip your bag
over; it
should now
look like this

20. Decorate the
blank side of
your bag to
look like a
robot.
Be creative!

21. This is an LED
The metal lines
are called leads
+-
Long & Red is + (positive) Short & Black is – (negative)

22. Can you use the battery to make the
LED light up?

23. Can you use the battery to make your
LED light up?
Long & Red is + (positive)
Short & Black is – (negative)
Which side of the
battery is positive?
Which side of the
battery is negative?
How can you tell?

24. This is how a circuit works

25. This is how a circuit works

26. Let’s build a
circuit to light
up an LED on
our robot
Stretch the
LED leads and
put it on your
robot.

27. Put a strip of
copper tape
on top of
each LED lead
DO NOT let
the copper
tape touch!!!

28. Get a scrap
piece of
copper tape
and your
battery

29. Test the
battery on
each taped
lead to see
where the
battery needs
to be in order
to light the
LED

30. It works!

31. Place a 3rd
piece of
copper tape
to join the
leads to the
battery.
Hint – if you
make the
tape longer,
you can fold
it back!

32. Use electrical
tape to stick
the battery to
your robot
(only cover ½
the battery!)

33. Test to make
sure your
circuit works!

34. Now, let’s make a parallel circuit!

35. Get out 2-4
more LED

36. Get a
permanent
marker

37. Mark the
positive lead
of each LED
with the
marker
(don’t cover
it too much
or the LED
might not
work)
Long & Red is + (positive) Short & Black is – (negative)

38. Bend the
leads like
this:
Try to keep all
positive leads
facing the
same way
These are my positive leads.

39. Get 2 strips of
copper tape

40. Place your
LEDs in a row
on your robot
Make sure
the positive
leads are all
on the same
side!
These are my positive leads.

41. Place a piece
of copper
tape
alongside one
side of the
leads.

42. Place a piece
of copper
tape
alongside the
other side of
the leads.

43. This is what it
should look
like:
Hint – press
& smooth
down the
copper tape
really well!

44. Get a strip of
copper tape
and your
battery; test
the parallel
circuit.

45. Test to see
where the
battery needs
to be placed
in your
parallel
circuit

46. Place a piece
of electrical
tape over ½
of your
battery.

47. Put down a
3rd piece of
copper tape
to close your
parallel
circuit
Test your
parallel
circuit

48. Try on your
robot suit!
Does it work?

49. Assemble into Groups of 2-5 students
Wrecking Crew Orchestra: http://goo.gl/jIpzue

50. Design a beat using Incredibox
Incredibox: http://www.incredibox.com/

51. In 6 minutes (or less) use your Incredibox
beat and choreograph a dance in your
robot suits
Wrecking Crew Orchestra

52. Dance
Rubric
Critique