How to Build a Robot for a Kid's School Project

A toothbrush can be made into a robot!

Science projects involving robots are a fantastic way to teach kids about all kinds of things, from electricity to mechanics to design and the basic laws of physics and more. Luckily, there is a simple form of robot, called a "Vibrobot," that uses vibration to scoot across any smooth surface. It can be built using scrap materials and tools found in any home in 15 minutes or less.

Things You'll Need

• New toothbrush
• Scissors
• Double-sided sticky tape
• Pager/cell phone motor
• 3-volt coin cell battery

Instructions

1. Snip the head of the toothbrush from the stem, leaving about a half-inch of stem. Set the head bristles-down to form the robot's "legs."

2. Lay a strip of double-sided sticky tape across the top of the toothbrush head's flat surface, facing upward.

3. Position the motor so that the turning portion sticks out over the opposite edge of the toothbrush from the snipped-off stem remainder. Press the motor firmly against the sticky tape to secure it there.

4. Lay one of the motor's wires (it doesn't matter which) flat against the sticky tape and stick the coin-cell battery down on top of that wire.

5. Bend the motor's other wire down to touch the top of the battery and the motor will come to life, vibrating your robot on its bristles across any smooth surface it's set on.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase already-removed cell phone and pager motors from web sites like eBay if you don't feel like tearing apart your own device.

References

• Evil Mad Scientist - Bristlebot