For the walking robot dog:

• index card or rectangle of heavy paper or thin cardboard

• pen, pencil, or marker

• scissors

Optional:

• ruler (or markings on strip of paper)

• tape

• 2 paper clips

For the test ramp:

• stiff cardboard or book — if it’s too smooth, cover with a piece of rough paper

• something to prop up the ramp, like a pile of books

Invention Tips

Look around for recycled materials to design and build your own robot bodies. As you search, think about how you could attach arms, legs, motors, microcontroller boards, and batteries to them.

You can share your designs with the class. You might even be able to use them in some of the projects! Suggestions include:

• cartons, containers, and boxes

• packing material like Styrofoam

• old toys like rubber balls and pool noodles

• body — disposable cup, recycled container, etc.

• 1.5 volt DC toy motor, with wires (like this one: https://www.adafruit.com/product/711)

• one AA battery

• wide, short rubber band that fits snugly around a AA battery (such as a broccoli rubberband like these: https://amzn.to/3zNPJg2)

• electrical tape

• a small cork or other soft weight (like a pencil eraser or glob of poster-hanging wall putty)

• 4 thin washable markers

• large piece of paper for the robot to draw on

Optional:

• foam tape or other two-sided tape

• hot glue gun

• wooden shapes, beads, etc. to add weight to cork

• glue dots

• googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and other decorations

•  strip of cardstock or heavy paper, about 11 by 1 ½ inches

• pen

• scissors

• tape or glue

Optional:

• Fin Gripper template

• paper straw and extra cardstock to make claw

• index card or rectangle of heavy paper

• conductive tape, such as aluminum foil tape (or kitchen foil and a glue stick)

• 1 LED light with long wires (such as 5 mm, https://www.adafruit.com/product/4203)

• 3-volt coin battery (CR2032, such as https://amzn.to/3tjk97y)

• pencil with soft lead (No. 2, HB, or softer)

Optional:

• Pressure Sensor template

Note: If you don’t have a microcontroller board, you can do the programming activities using the simulated board in MakeCode.

Electronics

• microcontroller board with USB data cable and battery case, such as Adafruit Circuit Playground Express or BBC Micro:bit

• alligator clip to male header test wires (such as https://www.adafruit.com/product/3448 )

• 9g micro servo motor (such as https://www.adafruit.com/product/169 )

Body

• disposable cups, small cardboard boxes, or other recycled materials for body and head

• glue dots and/or peel-and-stick Velcro dots