Professional Learning: GamiBot

The idea for this project came from:

There are a number of different types of robots made with vibration motors. 

• Vibrobot - A vibration robot that you make using a coin cell battery and a vibration motor. You can make it look like what you want it to using pipe cleaners, cardstock, and other craft supplies.
• ​Bristlebots/brushbots - Vibration robots built using the head of a toothbrush. The bot stands on the bristles. 
• ArtBot - A vibration robot that is built using a cup, two "feet" and a third "foot" made out of a marker. As the robot moves around, it draws a line along a piece of paper.
• GamiBot - A vibration robot that is made from a business card, card stock, or some other paper material which is folded into a shape and adhered to a vibration motor and coin cell battery.
• Junkbots - A vibration robot that is made out of found or upcycled materials.
• Hexbugs - A purchased vibration robot similar to a bristlebot/brushbot but made with rubber bristles which can then be used for climbing up tubes.

So where can I purchase the motors?

It will all depend on where your school allows you to order from. The cheapest place I have found is Amazon. There you can buy a pack of 15 motors for about $12.00. You can get them from Walmart, or RobotShop.com, but they will be more expensive.

You can also find vibration motors as part of larger kits or sets. Science buddies has two kits that are available for $35 and $60. Each one has different components to allow your vibration robot to do different things (solar charge, etc.)

You can also purchase the Hexbug robots (which are already built) for $9.99 each.

AASL  B. Create V. Explore

Learners construct new knowledge by:

1. Problem solving through cycles of design, implementation, and reflection.
2. Persisting through self-directed pursuits by tinkering and making.

Next Gen Science  3-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

If you attended the GamiBot workshop, please scroll down and fill out the evaluation form below. We really appreciate any and all feedback and ideas from our attendees. Your input is very valuable.

Thank you for your time.

The name GamiBot, is a combination of the words Origami and Robot. In the book, HOWTOONS, the two main characters, Tucker and Celine, make a robot using origami methods on a business card, a coin cell battery, and a vibration motor (such as the kind you would find in your cell phone).

For our workshop, participants design and build their own "Bot" using all different materials, so they are not necessarily "GamiBots".

See the sidebar to the left to read about the different types of vibration robots.

You will need the following:

Craft supplies:

Pipe cleaners, cardboard, straws, bottle caps, cardstock, markers, rubber bands, glue, scissors, tape, whatever else you can find or think of.

Design your own little bot. It can look like a bug, or a person, or a robot, or nothing in particular. 

Connect the Battery to the vibration motor and attach it to your robot using tape or glue.

Does it make a difference where you put the battery?

Does the robot move the way you expected it to?
Why or why not?

Here is an example of GamiBot:

Here is BeeBot:

Here is DragonflyBot:

Here is FrogBot:

Here is SpiderBot: