Rube+Goldberg

The Circulator
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I took a systems engineering course at work once that used the NXT. Each group had to build a part of the system using an nxt robot. One group did the ball retrieval, another the ball transport, and another the ball delivery. Each team had to figure out how to do their task and figure out how to interact with the other groups.

I thought it was a great way to illustrate a complex system and the teams had to collaborate with each other instead of competing. They also had to communicate with other teams throughout!

I think this approach could be adapted for kids.

Kathy Jones

I love this video (and this activity in general) from Tufts University.

Students have to build a module that takes a ball from a set location, and deliver it to final, set location. As long as these locations are consistent, you can put together as many modules as you want and each module can do whatever you want, as long as they deliver the ball.

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I have used the Great Ball Contraption as an end of semester project with 13-14 year olds. I've learned a few things:

1) The kids really love this project. I get asked over and over about doing it, and I've got some high school aged kids that I'm doing a physics lab with who want to try it (again -- they did it in middle school). I've even contemplated making it a summer camp week-long project.

2) You need more time than you think you do. I set aside 3-4 hours of class time the first year, and it wasn't enough. That year we really didn't get a completed contraption. Some individual modules worked -- sort of. Some were not done at all. So we didn't have the satisfaction of seeing the whole thing work. The 2nd year I set aside 5-6 hours, and the kids all got a completed module made, though some didn't work very well and required a lot of fixing and help, but we did get some balls passed from one end to the other.

3) The kids will come up with grandiose plans that can't really be completed in the time available, so it helps to have some guidelines and sometimes step in and redirect when it's clear that an idea simply will take too much time to develop fully in the class time available.

I actually did mine with RCXs. I use RCXs with middle school kids and NXTs with high schoolers (due to not having enough NXTs for all). Not that I think this made any significant difference. The younger kids actually find it easier to build with the old style RCX motors because they fit into traditional brick geometry better.

I required the kids to use at least one motor and one sensor. I let them watch some GBC videos to help them get the idea and see some of the possibilities. I suggest that they try to make the balls take as long a possible to travel through their module. It helps to have lots of link treads to make slanted conveyor belts with, as the kids commonly use that strategy to raise the ball up to higher point in their module.

I learned a lot myself the first time we tried it, and I think I was better able to help the kids the 2nd time around with the benefit of experience. So I'd suggest maybe trying to build a module of your own first!

I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's experience with using the GBC in classes, too.

Karen