Evan LernerTrashbots
“Trashbots” was a workshop developed by Kod*lab’s Sonia Roberts and Diedra Krieger for the event “Be a Pennovator” as part of the 2017 Philadelphia Science Festival. Middle school students created locomoting robots using motors, 2 rechargable AAA batteries, post-consumer materials, wire, laser cut acrylic and basic art supplies. The concepts of energy and physical programming were demonstrated using working Trashbots and practiced during an introductory exercise making a vibrating motor from a spinning one. Participants then created a legged robot of their own design using iterative experimentation and took their final creations home with them.