This page assumes that you are just starting to explore the fun you can have with robots. The purpose of the links on this page is to provide you with enough information to begin to build a strong base of knowledge. We hope that these links will be stable - they will be available for you to use for the forseeable future. This way you can come back to the information whenever you need to check facts or explore some interesting idea.

Use the links, in the table below, to move up and down the page.

INFORMATION   

The links in this section attempt to answer basic questions such as: "What are robots?", "What are some of the different kinds of robots?" and "Who makes robots?"

Here are a few information links that you can use to answer these questions:

• Robot: the NASA definition
• What are robots? - from Idaho Public Television
• Robots - from factmonster.com
• The basics - from 42explore.com
• How do robots work? - from life123.com
• What is a robot - from the Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California

• History of robots - from quacktu.com

Have fun watching this video from a student who built a LEGO robot to help clean up their room:

• LEGO cleanup creation - from YouTube.com

BUILDING ROBOTS   

The school robotics clubs, in the Comox Valley, start teaching students to build and program robots starting in grade four. (This is usually the point where the development of fine motor skills allow large numbers of students to consistently work with some of the small parts we use in Meccano sets and have they ability to plan out computer programs.)

LEGO Mindstorm kits, Mecanno sets, and other kits are used. This section has some guides to both Mindstorm and Meccano products. Our general rule is to start simple and then make things more complicated as a student's base of knowledge and confidence develops. (This often means getting out of their way as they charge ahead.)

These links build an engineering base:

• LEGO Digital Designer
• Constructopedia - build your engineering base

These links will help you to build a huge variety of different Mindstorm robots:

• Introduction to Mindstorms NXT - from LEGO
• How to build a NXT robot - 8 minute video
• LEGO Mindstorms - NXT 1 basic building instructions
• 60 plus projects with building and programming instructions
• More Mindstorm builds - from instructables.com

Meccano sets have been around for a long time. Many of the sets involve the use of motors, but are not programmable. Users must build by connecting different beams (and other objects) using nuts and bolts. Meccano requires fine motor skills - yours will develop - and, because you can build different things from what LEGO offers, they develop a deeper engineering sense.

• Meccano history
• Multi-models - provides different challenges while controlling costs
• Meccano videos - from youtube
• Meccano - video from the BBC
• Construction quarterly - the Meccano magazine
• Meccano photos

FUN   

There should always be some time for a bit of fun. Check out these links:

• Build your own Nanorover - from NASA
• Dodger's White Out - from the CBC
• Robot puzzle - NASA
• Space technology - NASA
• Robot crush
• Build a robot
• Wall-e build a bot - Disney
• Build-a-bot - BBC (works best in Internet Explorer)
• Runaway robot
• Soda Constructor
• Simple Machines Game - from Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago, USA)

• Scratch - use scratch to design your own games and activities - from MIT

This web page is meant as a starting point. Feel free to send us your suggestions.

Stewart Savard (eLibrarian) and Randy Grey (Career Coordinator)