Hour of Code The science of why stepping on Legos makes you want to die “I hope you step on a Lego” is such an apt curse that it has become a meme. Pages upon pages of YouTube videos detail the experience’s excruciating agony. The comedian Steve Ranazzissi perhaps described the moment the best: “Last week I stepped on a Lego with my bare foot and I almost murdered my whole family.” But why are the Lego blocks your 4-year-old leaves strewn around such nuggets of hell under the soles of your feet? And how does she manage to trip through them herself and continue on her merry way unscathed? There are a few factors that come together to make this such a painful experience, wrote Karl Smallwood of Today I Found Out (via Yahoo). And those plastic blocks are designed to be pretty astonishingly hard, with sharp corners to boot. The sharp corners also exacerbate the pain, New York University physics professor Tycho Sleator tells Quartz via email.
Thymio II - Robots en classe Vue d’ensemble du robot Le Thymio II est un robot éducatif et à prix abordable. Il se base sur trois piliers: 1) une grande quantité de capteurs et d’actuateurs, 2) une interactivité très poussée, surtout en ce qui concerne la compréhension du fonctionnement des capteurs, 3) une programmation facile grâce à l’environnement d’Aseba. Un des principaux atouts pédagogiques du robot Thymio II tient à l’usage qu’il fait de la lumière pour rendre visible son fonctionnement. Cet artifice permet de faire comprendre aux élèves que pour fonctionner, et à l’instar de ce qu’ils font eux-mêmes avec leurs sens, un robot doit être en mesure d’appréhender le milieu dans lequel il évolue. Capteurs et actuateurs Thymio utilise aussi la lumière en affichant extérieurement les six différents types de comportement qu’il peut adopter par le biais de six couleurs: Vert: Thymio l’amical suit un objet situé devant lui Jaune: Thymio l’explorateur explore le monde tout en évitant les obstacles Enseigner avec Thymio II
Circuit Scribe | Draw Your Own Circuits With Our Conductive Ink Pens Code Monster from Crunchzilla - Gr 3 - HS <h2>Code Monster gets kids excited about programming. It is a combination of a game and tutorial where kids experiment with learning to code. <p> Code Monster use Javascript. Please enable Javascript if you want the play with the Code Monster. I'm Code Monster! Getting Started Lesson 1 BACK How to Play | Lesson Sections | About | FAQ | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact | © 2015 How to Play Code Monster teaches kids and adults a little about Javascript programming! It's easy to play. Click on the Reset button if you really mess up your code and want to start over on a lesson. Code Monster saves what lesson you are on, so feel free to stop at any time and come back later. Have fun! About Code Monster from Crunchzilla is an interactive tutorial for kids that focuses on action. Projects start with simple boxes and colors, rapidly progressing into exciting experiments with simple animation and fractals. Code Monster is a gentle and fun introduction to programming concepts. Sure! Terms of Use Oh my.
Microfluidics from LEGO bricks MIT engineers have just introduced an element of fun into microfluidics. The field of microfluidics involves minute devices that precisely manipulate fluids at submillimeter scales. Such devices typically take the form of flat, two-dimensional chips, etched with tiny channels and ports that are arranged to perform various operations, such as mixing, sorting, pumping, and storing fluids as they flow. Now the MIT team, looking beyond such lab-on-a-chip designs, has found an alternative microfluidics platform in “interlocking, injection-molded blocks” — or, as most of us know them, LEGO bricks. “LEGOs are fascinating examples of precision and modularity in everyday manufactured objects,” says Anastasios John Hart, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. Video: Melanie Gonick/MIT Indeed, LEGO bricks are manufactured so consistently that no matter where in the world they are found, any two bricks are guaranteed to line up and snap securely in place. Modular mechanics
Robot : les machines de demain | A Fond la Science La robotique est une des grandes thématiques science qui intéressent le grand public. La couverture est très attrayante avec un robot humanoïde en relief. Ce documentaire va montrer, en six grandes parties, tout ce que les robots sont capables de faire dans différents milieux et comment ils fonctionnent. Plusieurs pages sont consacrés à l’histoire des robots depuis les premiers automates, les merveilles mécaniques, les créatures fantastiques jusqu’aux robots actuels, classés en dix catégories. Ils sont présentés dans cet ouvrage selon leurs milieux d’utilisation, à la maison, au travail, au quotidien, dans les lieux extrêmes et les super robots.
Create an Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace Unless you live under a rock or are completely off the grid when it comes to technology, you’re probably aware of the maker movement. However, if you need a refresher, I made an infographic. The maker movement is such an exciting time for students and teachers alike! “I have no money.” I find this to be incredibly unfortunate. My husband loves woodworking and I like building computers. Blue-Bot Meet Blue-Bot, the new Bee-Bot robot with a Bluetooth connection! Use the buttons on the back to program Blue-Bot just like Bee-Bot. Connect Blue-Bot to your tablet or PC via Bluetooth, using free apps, and program Blue-Bot remotely. Blue-Bot offers all the features of Bee-Bot while also introducing remote control! Students press the command keys to send Blue-Bot forward and back, left and right and learn counting, sequencing, directionality, problem-solving, and estimation just like with Bee-Bots. Students are anxious to put Blue-Bot through its paces and develop important thinking skills while they are having fun. Take Blue-Bot to the next level by using the Blue-Bot app to create a program on screen and send it to Blue-Bot via the Bluetooth connection. The Blue-Bot app adds additional capabilities not available on Blue-Bot itself. Like Bee-Bot, Blue-Bot is sturdily constructed and holds up well to classroom use.