Robotics Studio · With Tek
How to code a robot
This course shows your kid how to code a robot with sliders and when/do cards, no typing or coding language needed. In 6 short films, Tek starts with a paper game where a grown-up plays the robot, then moves to programming a robot in Robotics Studio's 3D simulator and fixing bugs. Plan on about 6 minutes of films and an hour or two of programming.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 6 films, about 6 minutes, then 1–2 hours of programming
- Host
- Tek
- You need
- Paper, pencil
- Status
- Coming soon. Kids vote in the app for the courses they want first.
The intro film
Tek's 50-second intro film is coming soon. Here's what Tek says in it.
Transcript
Hi, it's Tek. Robots are great at one thing. Following steps.
But they follow them exactly. Even silly ones.
Tell a robot to walk forward, and it walks right into the wall. Bonk!
So today you learn to give good steps.
First, you play a game. A grown-up is the robot. You give the steps.
Then you teach your real robot. You use sliders, and when-do cards.
When it sees a wall, do turn around.
When something goes wrong, that's a bug. You find it and fix it.
Ready to be the boss of a robot? Let's go.
The 6 lessons
Lesson 1. Be the robot
Robots follow steps exactly, so the order matters.
- Write steps on paper to get a grown-up to the door
- Have the grown-up follow them exactly
- Fix the steps that didn't work
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Sliders
Sliders set how your robot moves.
- Open your robot in the Program room
- Move one slider
- Press go and see what changed
Where: Robotics Studio · Program
Lesson 3. When this, do that
A when/do card tells your robot what to do when something happens.
- Pick a when card
- Pick a do card to go with it
- Press go and watch it happen
Where: Robotics Studio · Program
Lesson 4. Cards in order
Put cards in the right order to make a plan.
- Write your plan on paper first, one step per line
- Line up your cards in the same order
- Run it from the start
Where: Robotics Studio · Program
Lesson 5. Find the bug
A bug is a step that doesn't do what you meant.
- Try a test challenge
- Watch for the moment it goes wrong
- Fix that one card and run it again
Where: Robotics Studio · Test
Lesson 6. Show it off
Share the run where your robot follows every step.
- Pick your favorite run
- Say what your program does, in one line
- Send it to your family
Where: Robotics Studio · Premiere
What your kid makes
Your kid ends with a robot that follows a program they wrote: steps planned on paper, then built from sliders and when/do cards, tested and debugged in a 3D simulator, and shared with family. The robot stays in Robotics Studio, ready for harder test challenges.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
Does my kid need to know a coding language?
No. Programs are built from sliders and when/do cards, so there is no typing. The ideas are the same ones coders use: steps in order, if this happens do that, and finding bugs.
Does my kid need a real robot?
No. The robot moves in a realistic 3D simulator in the browser. The first film uses no screen at all: a grown-up plays the robot.
What age is this for?
Kids 6 to 13. Younger kids work with one or two cards at a time. Older kids tend to build longer plans and chase down trickier bugs.