Tinkercad Robotics for School: SIMLAB KOMBAT! (virtual Walking Robots Battle)

Hello. My name is Mario, and I am the creator of SIM LAB KOMBAT!

"Sim Lab Kombat" is a STEAM activity created for students of grades 5, 6, and 7, where they must create their own walking battle robot using Tinkercad Sim Lab. Then, in a tournament organized by the teacher, the robots are placed on a platform to fight until only one stands.

The winner is defined when:

1. A robot pushes the other one out of the platform.
2. A robot falls and is not able to fight anymore.
3. A robot breaks apart and is not able to fight anymore.
4. If both robots are stuck in a fight because they are equally balanced, a stalemate will be declared after 10 seconds of not seeing any progress.

The origin for this idea came while I was teaching a whole STEAM unit about Tinkercad Sim Lab. For the summative assessment, I wanted to do something different, so I taught students how to build a simple virtual walking robot and then challenged them to transform it into a fighting machine. Students were up to the challenge and presented some crazy ideas! During the last lesson, we had the opportunity to see their batttle robots in action (I will show some of the best creations in the last step of this instructable), and even some of the students performed as announcers. It was probably the most thrilling and exciting lesson of the year!

This instructable included the step-by-step instructions so students can create the basic walking robots and the lesson plan for teachers.

This activity is a good alternative for schools without physical robots, and you only need the following resources:

1. 1 computer per student with connection to internet and a Tinkercad account
2. Good wifi
3. A classroom with a projector, smartboard, or big TV.
4. Teacher's computer with connection to the projector.
5. A "microphone" (it could be a gluestick or any cylindrical object). Only the student holding the microphone (announcer or robot's creator) can talk.
6. Optional: symbolic prizes for the winners (more about that later)

There is a lot of great information and YouTube tutorials about Tinkercad Sim Lab. However, if you want to explore the knowledge building prior to this activity, I am including the video resources that I created and used during the unit.

When you are teaching Sim Lab robotics to a group of 21 students and your lesson only lasts one hour, the magic word here is "simplicity." I only taught the students how to create a basic walking mechanism and suggested the kind of accessories and weapons they could attach to it, trying to keep the instructions and steps to a minimum. The rest depended on the student's creativity and self-management skills.

In this video, you can see the process of creating a simple battle robot. However, I will explain its design in the next steps.

Bring a box from the Shapes Library. The dimensions must be 50 mm (front) x 40 mm (side) x 80 mm (height).

Customize the box, adding the colors and decorations of your preference, but considering the following instructions:

1. Both sides of the box must be flat and clear of other shapes (later we will place the legs there)
2. It is recommendable to add something (like a face) to the front of the box, so you know that that is the front of your robot.
3. After finishing with the box, all extra shapes must be grouped to it (otherwise, they will fall when running the simulation, and if you try to group them later, the connections will be broken)
4. In case of later requiring to add extra accessories, Sim Lab connectors can be used.

Teacher's Tip: I try to avoid using the orange and blue colors when designing for Sim Lab, and I recommend the same to the students. This will help you to avoid confusion when using the connectors.

Bring a cylinder and place it on the left side of the box. The dimensions are 20 mm (diameter) x 58 mm (length). The distance to the floor (workplane) must be 50 mm.

Align the cylinder to the middle of the box. If you did it right, you will be able to see the circular faces of the cylinder on both sides of the box.

Bring an Axle Connector from the Sim Lab library and place it on the center of the cylinder. Use the Align function to verify that it is located in the center.

Connect the connector's handles: the orange handle goes to the box (body) and the blue handle goes to the cylinder.

Transform the Axle Connector into a motor, setting the Motor Torque parameter to 60 mNm, and the Motor Speed parameter to 60 RPM. Students can experiment with different parameters after testing their basic robot.

Place another Axle Connector over the cylinder's circular face. It must be aligned to the first Axle Connector (motor) forming a parallel line to the workplane. This new connector will have a crank action and connect the leg to the cylinder.

Select the cylinder and both axle connectors, duplicate them, and move down the duplicates.

Bring a box from the Shapes Library. The dimensions must be 5 mm (front) x 5 mm (side) x 100 mm (height).

Bring another box from the Shapes Library. The dimensions must be 5 mm (front) x 60 mm (side) x 5 mm (height).

Align them to the middle.

Duplicate the second box and place the duplicate perpendicular to it, near the front end. Create a second duplicate. Place this perpendicular to the second box, but this time near the rear end, creating some kind of fork shape.

After checking that all these boxes are correctly aligned, group them.

Change the view to ortographic (flat) and click the top view of the viewcube.

Place the leg close to the cylinder, verifying that the leg's vertical box is aligned with the second connector that we created in step 5.

Connect the connector's handles: the orange handle goes to the cylinder and the blue handle goes to the leg. Perform the same operation for the second cylinder.

This leg is easier to create, but you need to be extra careful.

Select the left leg and its two axle connectors (note: not the motor ones). Duplicate these parts and move them to the right side of the robot.

Use the mirror tool to transform that duplicated left leg into a right leg.

Place the right leg near the right end of the cylinders. The vertical part of the leg and its connectors must be placed in the front section of the cylinder, diagonally opposite to the left leg, so both legs can move in an alternate way, allowing the robot to walk.

Verify that the feet are not touching each other and that the connectors are properly connecting the right leg to the cylinder.

You can attach accessories to the robot using pivot connectors. Play with the Cone Angle Limit, until you find the best joint for your accessory. You can also use the Axle Connectors as motors to propel different weapons.

In this example, I added a rotative sword and a spinning shield, created using the new Sketch tool. You can upgrade your walking robot as much as you want!

Time to bring the fighters to the arena!

In this step, you will find the original platform for Sim Lab Kombat. The material is set to plastic (but if you want to make things interesting, you can change it to ice!). It's important to set the platform to static. Otherwise, your robots may suffer performance issues.

Go to your student's project using Tinkercad Classroom or the link from "Send to - Invite People".

Select all the robot and copy it (Ctrl-C or Cmd-C, depending on your OS.)

Got to the platform and put the Workplane tool (W) over the platform. Then paste it (Ctrl-V or Cmd-V).

Change the location and orientation of the robot, until it faces the direction of the enemy.

Teacher's Tip: To avoid issues of the robot's feet and the platform sharing the same space, elevate the robot 2 mm over the temporary workplane.

Repeat the process with the second robot.

Go to Sim Lab and start the simulation to test that both robots are able to walk.

(Note from the Author: Only for this step I got some support from ChatGPT, because it bores me to death writing standard-aligned lesson plans; I have a very demanding job and a very active toddler at home that requires my full attention. Besides, pedagogical approaches like the International Baccalaureate accept the use of AI as long as it follows some parameters. Ok, I am giving too many excuses, and I am already sounding like some of my students. Skibidi.)

Lesson 1: Designing and Simulating a Walking Robot (60 minutes)

Objective: Students will use Tinkercad’s Sim Lab to design, simulate, and refine a basic walking robot.

Focus Skills: engineering, design, creative thinking, collaboration, problem-solving.

Alignment to ISTE Standards for Students:

1.4 Innovative Designer: Students use a design process to develop ideas, test theories, and refine models.

1.6 Creative Communicator: Students create original works or responsibly remix digital resources.

Materials Needed:

1. Computers with internet access.
2. Tinkercad accounts for each student.
3. Preloaded example of a simple walking robot in Tinkercad and video tutorial.
4. Smartboard, TV, or projector.

Activity Steps:

1. Engage (10 minutes):
2. Hook: Show a short video of walking robots and their applications (e.g., Boston Dynamics robots).
3. Discussion Prompt: Why might engineers simulate robots before building them?
4. Highlight the engineering design process and its importance in real-world problem-solving.
5. Explore (20 minutes): Hands-On Design:
6. Challenge: Students create a simple walking robot in Tinkercad Sim Lab.
7. Use a preloaded model as a starting point and the video tutorial, or let students design from scratch.
8. Encourage students to focus on how the robot moves and balance considerations.
9. Test the walking functionality in Tinkercad Sim Lab.
10. Explain (10 minutes): Group Reflection:
11. Discuss the challenges faced while designing.
12. Encourage students to analyze and document any improvements they need to make.
13. Elaborate (10 minutes): Homework Assignment:
14. Challenge: Customize and transform the basic robot into a "fighting robot."
15. Add accessories (shields, claws, spikes) and weapons (blades, battering rams).
16. Ensure designs balance functionality and creativity.
17. Closure:
18. Remind students that the best robots will be chosen based on their functionality (walking smoothly) and creativity (design enhancements).
19. Provide a rubric outlining evaluation criteria for the next lesson.

Lesson 2: Robot Battles - "Sim Lab Kombat" (60 minutes)

Objective: Students will present and simulate their customized robots in a tournament format, emphasizing problem-solving, iteration, and collaboration.

Focus Skills: critical thinking, teamwork, resilience, creativity.

Alignment to ISTE Standards for Students:

1.5 Computational Thinker: Students test solutions to troubleshoot problems effectively.

1.7 Global Collaborator: Students use collaborative technologies to work with others.

Materials Needed:

1. Computers with internet access and Tinkercad access.
2. Rubric for evaluating robots (walking functionality, creativity of design, and performance).
3. Symbolic prizes (certificates, badges).
4. Smartboard, TV, or projector.
5. "Microphone" (e.g. a gluestick to be used by a student performing as the announcer and interviewing the contestants.)

Activity Steps:

1. Engage (5 minutes):
2. Discussion: Engineers use simulations to test weaknesses. What did students learn during their customization?
3. Explore (15 minutes): Robot Presentations:
4. Showcase: Each team briefly demonstrates their robot's walking and explains their design improvements.
5. The teacher evaluates robots and selects the top designs to proceed to the battle round.
6. Explain (5 minutes): Criteria reminder:
7. Functionality: How well does the robot walk without issues?
8. Creativity: How innovative are the accessories and enhancements?
9. Performance: Ability to "fight" effectively during the simulations.
10. Elaborate (30 minutes): Robot Battles Tournament:
11. Format:
12. Use a bracket system for finals, semifinals, and final round.
13. Simulate battles in Tinkercad Sim Lab by colliding robots and seeing which remains "standing."
14. Students cheer on and analyze each round, offering respectful feedback to participants.
15. Closure (5 minutes): Reflect and Celebrate:
16. Celebrate the winners with symbolic prizes.
17. Group discussion: What did students learn about the importance of testing and iteration in design?

This was a great opportunity to see in action the creativity of my students. These were some of the best designs in our first "Sim Lab Kombat" tournament! Big thanks to all of you for being part of this experience and delighting us with some memorable fights!