Trashbot Challenge
Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a provocation for learning, learners explore real-world robots that help protect the environment and are challenged to design a robot to clean-up trash from the schoolyard or a local outdoor space. This activity can be done in-person or in a virtual setting.
What You Need
- Computer and access to the internet (to show video and SDGs)
- Writing tool (i.e. pencil, pen, etc.)
- Design and build trashbot template
- Paper (for sketching/brainstorming)
- Trashbot Challenge- Design and Build Template
Guide:
Safety Notes
- Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe delivery of outreach to youth.
What To Do
Pre-activity:
- Briefly discuss the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by visiting the site and exploring the 17 goals (placing focus on goals 13, 14, 15 for the purposes of this activity).
Activity:
- Show learners this video about Trashbot, a robot designed by Urban Rivers to help clean up pollution from the Chicago river.
- Facilitate a brief discussion with group, by posing the following questions:
- What problem was this robot designed to solve?
- What SDG(s) is it helping accomplish?
- End goal of discussion: Trash in the environment is a huge threat to both life in water and on land.
- Facilitate brief discussion on robots, by posing the following questions:
- What is a robot? (Answers will vary.)
- What is the difference between machines and robots? (Robots are complex machines that use sensors, circuits and programmable devices (software) that require coding to move around on two or more axes to perform tasks.)
- Link back to the video: What features did the Trashbot have that helped it accomplish its mission?
- What are some things that robots “take in” (inputs) to better understand their surroundings? Answers will vary, but could include any of the following sensors: touch (object detection), light, temperature, sound, proximity, distance, pressure, accelerometer, etc. The objective is to have learners think about how technology can leverage sensors and other tools to detect things around it.
- What are some things that allow robots to change the world around them (outputs)? Answers will vary but could include any of the following: movement (through motors, engines, etc.), sound (through buzzers, speakers, etc.), light (through LEDs, etc.) and wireless communications (through radio transmitters, etc.).
NOTE! If you are hosting a virtual session, ask students to share ideas by typing ideas in chat box or activating microphone during video conferencing or uploading a video response to Flipgrid.
- Discuss Goal 15: Life on land with learners. Ask learners: “Are there outdoor spaces in your community where you notice trash, often?” Their answers will vary. Ask learners to discuss what kinds of problems that might cause (or already is causing). Then challenge learners to design a robot that can remove trash from the outdoor space to make it safer for animals, birds and people, in the community (using examples of inputs and outputs discussed earlier).
- Ask the educator to divide learners into smaller groups of three to four.
- In small groups, ask learners to brainstorm ideas for robot designs by completing the Design and Build trashbot template.
- Once all teams have designed their prototypes, facilitate brief discussion comparing prototypes.
- Leave learners with this final thought, “Next time you see a robot or machine, take few minutes to ponder about how it is interacting with the environment, and consider what inputs and outputs are involved.”
Discovery
This cross-curricular activity focuses on a climate-related challenge and uses computational thinking skills and global competencies to solve it. Learners identify and refine the problem to be solved/need to be met, developing decomposition skills. Learners create a design plan (e.g., steps in creating a prototype, decisions about tools and materials), developing algorithmic thinking and analytics. Learners design their prototype, developing testing and evaluating skills. Learners select and gather information to answer a question or solve a problem, developing data collection and analysis skills.
From a climate perspective, learners can explore their neighbourhoods and communities to ponder what might be contributing to climate change, like trash. They will feel empowered when they help create a solution (by designing their robots), which will help minimize negative impacts on their environments.
Learners also develop global competencies, including critical thinking, problem solving innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. They also learn/self-awareness and self-direction and further develop their collaboration and communication skills. This activity also focuses on global citizenship and sustainability.
As technology advances, it is more important than ever for learners to be prepared to contribute to the digital world. Building computational thinking skills and strengthening their understanding of computational thinking concepts, will help learners to prepare for and contribute to a digital future.
Climate change is changing our world drastically. Human activity is the main cause of climate change. Learners get to explore their communities and understand some of the causes of climate change happening around them. Learners then have the chance to be part of the solution. Through completing this activity, learners can gain a better understanding of their environment and what it takes to make a real, positive difference.
In addition, helping learners develop global citizenship helps secure a more sustainable future for all!
- Encourage learners to learn more about robotics and technological thinking through this Let’s Talk Science backgrounder
- Depending on your level of experience with robotics and the equipment available for use, you may choose to continue this learning activity in multiple ways. Here are just a few examples:
- Dragons’ Den: Learners work in teams to develop an oral presentation to pitch their design to the class. Incorporate math and financial literacy by asking learners to estimate building costs and to calculate a return-on-investment. The whole group can then vote to select the best design.
- Learners build a prototype of their robots, program them, and test them out. Challenge them to use incorporate sensors, actuators, grippers or an arm in their design. Feeling competitive? Hold a group competition to see which team’s robot can pick up the most objects in a given period of time.
What's Happening?
This cross-curricular activity focuses on a climate-related challenge and uses computational thinking skills and global competencies to solve it. Learners identify and refine the problem to be solved/need to be met, developing decomposition skills. Learners create a design plan (e.g., steps in creating a prototype, decisions about tools and materials), developing algorithmic thinking and analytics. Learners design their prototype, developing testing and evaluating skills. Learners select and gather information to answer a question or solve a problem, developing data collection and analysis skills.
From a climate perspective, learners can explore their neighbourhoods and communities to ponder what might be contributing to climate change, like trash. They will feel empowered when they help create a solution (by designing their robots), which will help minimize negative impacts on their environments.
Learners also develop global competencies, including critical thinking, problem solving innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. They also learn/self-awareness and self-direction and further develop their collaboration and communication skills. This activity also focuses on global citizenship and sustainability.
Why Does It Matter?
As technology advances, it is more important than ever for learners to be prepared to contribute to the digital world. Building computational thinking skills and strengthening their understanding of computational thinking concepts, will help learners to prepare for and contribute to a digital future.
Climate change is changing our world drastically. Human activity is the main cause of climate change. Learners get to explore their communities and understand some of the causes of climate change happening around them. Learners then have the chance to be part of the solution. Through completing this activity, learners can gain a better understanding of their environment and what it takes to make a real, positive difference.
In addition, helping learners develop global citizenship helps secure a more sustainable future for all!
Investigate Further
- Encourage learners to learn more about robotics and technological thinking through this Let’s Talk Science backgrounder
- Depending on your level of experience with robotics and the equipment available for use, you may choose to continue this learning activity in multiple ways. Here are just a few examples:
- Dragons’ Den: Learners work in teams to develop an oral presentation to pitch their design to the class. Incorporate math and financial literacy by asking learners to estimate building costs and to calculate a return-on-investment. The whole group can then vote to select the best design.
- Learners build a prototype of their robots, program them, and test them out. Challenge them to use incorporate sensors, actuators, grippers or an arm in their design. Feeling competitive? Hold a group competition to see which team’s robot can pick up the most objects in a given period of time.