Did you spot the Hummingbird Kit in this episode of Mission Unstoppable?
Educator Tonya Coats was highlighted for her incredible work integrating STEM into her 2nd grade class, and her robotic garden is just blooming with creativity. Have you ever watched Mission Unstoppable? Here’s a summary of the show: “Highlighting the fascinating female innovators who are on the cutting edge of science — including zoologists, engineers, astronauts, codebreakers and oceanographers. Host Miranda Cosgrove profiles female STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) superstars in the fields of social media, entertainment, animals, design and the internet — all categories key to the teen experience. Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis serves as executive producer, bringing her passion for creating change in the portrayal of strong female characters in entertainment and media that positively influences young viewers, along with Cosgrove.” (Source.) Fascinating female innovators on the cutting edge of science? No wonder Ms. Coats was featured! We loved seeing Ms. Coats and her amazing student, Andrea, sharing their deep and joyful hands-on learning experiences with creative robotics. Just look at that incredible garden!
Ready to create your own robotic garden?
Andrea and the rest of her class used the Hummingbird Robotics Kit to animate their creations – making bees fuzz and move, flowers open, and lights twinkle. Feeling inspired by this robotic garden? We have everything you need to create your own at home or at school – all available for free on our website.
This flower tutorial is a great place to start, and every garden needs a few jitterbugs! Bees are critical pollinators for healthy gardens, and you can program yours to do a bee waggle dance or follow the programming tutorial for the rotation servo to make your bees swarm the hive like Ms. Coats and Andrea did. Whether you’re adding creations that are made from yarn, cardboard, styrofoam, or other craft materials that you have onhand, we have everything you need to bring them to life with biomimetic movement: take a look at these step-by-step guides for creating a cable system, piston, crank, and winch.
Did we miss anything? What other tutorials, guides, or inspiration would you like to see? Let us know!
Learn more about Mission Unstoppable via the show’s YouTube channel. Full episodes air on CBS.