TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Arctic Animal Robot
Students create four-legged walking robots and measure how far they travel across different types of surfaces. They design and create "shoes" to add to the robots' feet and observe the effect of their modifications on the net distance...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Robotic Face
Build a robotic face that can make facial expressions using simple machines on this website. This website includes the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Design a Robotic Arm
A challenge that asks students to move a marble, a straw, and a coin from the table into a cup using a robotic arm they designed. The site includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Safe Stopping Robot
A challenge for students to design and engineer a robot that turns itself off when it leaves a safe area. This challenge contains tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Robot
In 1920, Czech writer Karel Capek wrote a play about human-like machines, thereby inventing the term robot from the Central European word for forced labor. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how the science fiction staple earned its...
New York Times
New York Times: Scenes From a Robot Battle
An interactive video that shows the new techniques that the US government may use to fight future wars and insurgence because it involves robot controlled vehicles instead of human contolled. This will result in less loss of life for the...
Michigan Reach Out
Michigan Reach Out!: Nasa Robots
Basic lesson plan that helps students understand how robots perform simple activities in space.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley Lab: Did You Ever Wonder? Labor Saving Science
Students investigate robotics in molecular biology and capillary electrophoresis. The article examines the accomplishments of Joe Jaklevic. The resource consists of pictures, quotes, and links to additional resources.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Strong Arm Tactics
Students generally do not know the complexity that goes into building and programming a robotic arm. In actuality, creating such an arm comes from a design that involves mechanical, electrical, and computer science engineers. This...
Other
Lira Lab: Laboratory for Integrated Advanced Robotics
Site of the LIRA-Lab in University of Genoa, Italy which specializes in artificial vision and sensory-motor coordination from a computational neuroscience perspective.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Mobile Autonomous Systems Laboratory
This course guides students through the design and production of an autonomous robot that must face a series of competitive challenges.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Building Ant Bot
Learn how to build a robot that can mimic basic ant walking & running behavior.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Challenge: Drum Partner
Learn how to use the sound sensor for the Lego robot with this page.
York University
Yes I Can! Science: Red Rover, Red Rover
The YES I Can! Science site based out of York University in Toronto is featuring the Mars rovers. The site has all the mission background information teachers need all in one place as well as several great student activities, (Build a...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Science of Spring Force
Students use data acquisition equipment to learn about force and displacement in regard to simple and complex machines. In the engineering world, materials and systems are tested by applying forces and measuring the resulting...
Other
Science Museum of Minnesota: Making a Jitterbug [Pdf]
You can make a simple robot using a few simple materials. The directions come from an exhibit on robots at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Read Works
Read Works: Robo Helpers
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about new robots that learn to walk like humans. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in drawing conclusions.
Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino
This is an introduction to the children's novel Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino, a science fiction book for young readers. It includes a brief summary, links to about the author information, book reviews, and other books by the author....
PBS
Pbs Kids: Sci Girls: Aquabot
Join Jake on an underwater rescue mission by building an underwater robot to help him find his ring. Players will learn about buoyancy while trying to rescue the treasure.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Rock Around the World
Classes from around the country collect rock samples and send them in to be analyzed by NASA scientists.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Our Bodies Have Computers and Sensors
Students learn about the human body's system components, specifically its sensory systems, nervous system and brain, while comparing them to robot system components, such as sensors and computers. The unit's life sciences-to-engineering...
Government of Canada
Canadian Space Agency: Canadian Astronauts Brent Thirsk
Dr. Thirsk is scheduled to be a member of Expedition 20 in 2009 to the International Space Station. He will live and work on the ISS for up to six months; an extended stay this is a Canadian first. His duties will include robotic...
NASA
Nasa Human Research Program: 21st Century Explorer
This NASA research program allows students to explore space topics using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills. Find twelve themes to investigate through video, song, and animation. Also find links to other NASA projects.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Invent a Biobot
Make a robot that moves like a living creature using a microcontroller, motors, and mechanisms with this challenge. Also, on this challenge find a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.