7/8 grade

D-Lab Elective

D-Lab is a makerspace studio class for designing and producing interactive games, robots, and visual animations, combining an assortment of media. Students create several projects throughout the trimester, incorporating the use of sewing machines, circuit boards (with lights, motors, and sensors), greenscreen and audio/video recording equipment, simple carpentry, and crafts and recycled materials.

D-Lab Elective Quick Tour:

Underneath a Makey Makey joystick, alligator clips connect copper tape to a copper-covered ball.

Lights and motors are actuators that respond to sensory input based on code instructions.

Creating smooth transitions between marble run layers.

Cable management for robotic automata is an art in and of itself.

A mechanical hand articulates with the turn of servo motors.

Robotic games and carnival rides conceal the inner workings of gears and motors.

7th and 8th-grade students enrolled in the "D-Lab & Robotics" elective will combine art, logic, and mechanical engineering to construct autonomous creatures of their imagination that can improve the human experience.

Students design their own robots using Hummingbird, Lego Mindstorms EV3, and VEX robotics kits.