RattleBot

Are you ready to practice your Frankenstein skills and bring a toothbrush to life? Follow these steps to make a creepy-crawly friend with nothing more than a toothbrush, paperclips, and tape!

Materials: electric toothbrush with one AA battery (available for $1 at most dollar stores), duct tape (sometimes half width and sometimes quarter width pieces will be needed as shown), paperclips, pipe cleaner (optional), sticky googly eyes (optional, but highly recommended)

To do this, remove the colored bottom section, and hit the toothbrush vertically on a table to separate the motor and battery holder.

Reassemble the motor, battery holder, and bottom switch (Figure 2). Make sure that the battery is inside and facing the right direction!

Using a full-width piece of duct tape that is about 4 inches long, secure the main rattle

bot body. Toggle the switch to make sure the motor is working!

Bend open 6 paper clips so they form an L shape.

Find a friend to hold a 3-inch piece of half-width duct tape so the sticky side is facing up. Attach the legs to the piece of tape as shown. Attach the legs to the rattle bot body.

Secure the legs to the body using four 4-inch pieces of quarter-width duct tape. Wrap one piece of tape around the ends of the body and in between each leg.

If you want, add eyes and antennae to give your rattle bot personality. Flip the switch, and watch your rattle bot go! Do NOT forget to scream out "It's ALIVE!" when it comes to life - your own Franken-rattlebot!

Challenges - now that you have made it, engineer it!

Can you make your rattle bot move forward? Backward?

Can you get it to dance in circles?

What else can you make your rattle bot do?