Cubelets

Cubelets robot blocks are a fast and easy way to inspire kids to become better thinkers! These robot blocks come pre-programmed and ready to go right out of the box. Just snap them together and go! Different robotic behavior will emerge depending on the combination of Cubelets that you use. Create thousands of different kinds of tiny robots just by switching up your Cubelets robot blocks. Want to advance your creations? With the new Cubelets Blockly app, you can program each robot block and see how it changes the behavior of your whole creation!

• Students design robots that represent specific characters in a text they are reading.
• Students design a robot then write a narrative that includes the robot as either a character or part of the setting.
• Students use Cubelets as their experimentation and iterative tool to address a Design Thinking Challenge.
• Because each Cubelet has its own unique function, Cubelets lend themselves to modeling (or imagining!) animal adaptations.
• Cubelets were originally designed to showcase emergent behavior of which there are many examples in the natural world. Some quick examples include ants, bees, termites, birds, and coral reefs.
• One common symptom of extreme weather is a lack of visibility and often a lack of power. Based on whichever Extreme Weather event your class is focusing on, you might ask students to design a robot that can navigate through the darkness to either find people stuck in the storm or guide them out of the storm.
• Demonstrate amplitude versus frequency with robot construction. Change the amplitude by waving your hand higher or lower above the SENSE Cubelet. Change the frequency by waving your hand at different speeds.
• Cubelets make an excellent spinning table on which students can draw on cardstock or paper plates, then measure the frequency and amplitude of waves.
• Cubelets can certainly be used to model the flow of energy in a system, but it is important to remember that Cubelets receive their energy from the Battery Cubelet not the SENSE Cubelet, and the transfer between Cubelets is actually due to the movement of data, not electricity.
• Students use a Bar Graph Cubelet or the Cubelets app to investigate the weighted average of multiple senses in one robot construction.
• Students design Cubelets robots to draw on butcher paper or paper table cloths
• Students design Cubelets robots that perform a new dance move or dance sequence!

Lesson Plans: https://www.modrobotics.com/education/educator-resource-hub/#lessons-units

Landing page for Cubelets: https://www.modrobotics.com/education/

Activity Cards: https://www.modrobotics.com/edu/Cubelets-print-n-fold-activity-cards.pdf