Activity Stations &
Implementation Guides

Students build custom navigation paths using laminated track sheets and electrical tape that the robot’s line-following sensors detect and follow automatically.

Participants select from prepared track sheets or create their own layouts, allowing them to experiment with different path shapes and observe how track design affects robot movement.

Skills introduced:

• Sensor-based navigation
• Spatial reasoning and layout design
• Experimentation with path complexity
• Cause-and-effect relationships between environment and robot behavior

Reusable laminated track sheets allow this station to support recurring Regency Robotics events with flexible setup options for different experience levels.

Students program robots to navigate a structured maze using the mBlock app, developing an understanding of sequencing, logic, and iterative problem-solving.

Skills introduced:

• Algorithmic thinking
• Logical sequencing
• Debugging programmed movement
• Route planning and optimization

Maze station components were designed using CAD software and fabricated with 3D printing to support repeatable implementation during future Regency Robotics workshops.

Students guide robots through a structured obstacle course using the handheld remote provided with the mBot kits. The course includes a start gate, slalom path, guided straight lane, and parking zone designed to simulate real-world movement constraints.

Skills introduced:

• Precision movement control
• Spatial awareness and path planning
• Navigation within constrained environments
• Iterative problem-solving through trial and adjustment

The obstacle course layout is standardized to support consistent setup for recurring Regency Robotics workshop events.

Students program an mBot robot to rescue stranded dinosaurs by navigating a custom course and carefully pushing each dinosaur into a designated safe zone. Rather than following a predefined path, participants develop and test their own navigation strategies while refining robot movements through repeated experimentation.

Skills introduced:

• Coordinate-based navigation
• Programming and sequencing
• Strategic planning
• Precision movement
• Testing and iteration

This station encourages students to think like engineers by designing, testing, and improving autonomous solutions to an open-ended challenge.

Students use programming blocks to create a robot that repeatedly jumps between designated lily pads while avoiding obstacles and completing a repeating movement pattern. The activity introduces loops, sequencing, logical thinking, and algorithm design through a game-based programming challenge.

Skills introduced:

• Loops and repetition
• Sequential programming
• Logical thinking
• Algorithm development
• Debugging

The flexible design allows challenge difficulty to increase as students gain confidence with programming concepts.

Students create drawings using the Draw & Run feature in the mBlock app before watching the robot recreate their artwork on a large sheet of paper. The activity introduces coordinate-based movement while demonstrating how programmed commands can produce precise real-world motion.

Skills introduced:

• Coordinate systems
• Programming accuracy
• Creative problem solving
• Motion control
• Computational thinking

This activity combines robotics and creativity while helping students understand how software instructions translate into physical robot movement.

Students control an mBot to push a ball across the playing area and into a custom-designed goal. The challenge requires participants to carefully control the robot's direction and speed while adjusting their approach based on the position of the ball and goal.

Skills introduced:

• Precision robot control
• Spatial reasoning and alignment
• Strategy and planning
• Hand-eye coordination
• Testing and adjustment

I designed the custom soccer goals using CAD software and 3D printed them specifically for the activity, creating reusable equipment that can be easily set up for future workshops.

Students program an mBot to travel down a bowling lane and knock down a set of custom 3D-printed pins. Participants determine the robot's movement, speed, and direction before testing their program and making adjustments to improve accuracy.

Skills introduced:

• Programming and sequencing
• Distance and directional control
• Precision and alignment
• Testing and debugging
• Iterative problem-solving

I designed and 3D printed the bowling pins specifically for the activity. The challenge combines programming with repeated testing, allowing students to see how changes to their commands affect the robot's performance.

Students use the mBot app to remotely control a robot around a racetrack while completing timed laps. Each participant takes a turn driving one lap and can continue through additional rounds as time allows, giving students opportunities to improve their performance.

Skills introduced:

• Precision driving
• Speed control
• Navigation and steering
• Hand-eye coordination
• Spatial awareness
• Testing and performance improvement

Participants can also take on optional challenges such as beating their previous lap time, completing a lap without touching the track boundaries, or focusing on smooth turns instead of sudden movements.

Students draw a destination card identifying where a package must be delivered: Library, School, or Hospital. Using the mBot remote control, they navigate a roadway and carefully push the package to the assigned location. The challenge encourages precision driving, navigation, and problem-solving.

Skills introduced:

• Precision robot control
• Spatial awareness and navigation
• Strategic planning
• Hand-eye coordination
• Testing and adjustment

The destination cards and reusable roadway allow students to complete different delivery assignments, encouraging repeated experimentation and improved driving accuracy.

Students use the mBlock programming software to program an mBot to travel along a roadway, reverse into a parking space between two markers, and straighten its position. Participants test their programs and adjust movement sequences to improve parking accuracy.

Skills introduced:

• Programming and sequencing
• Distance and directional control
• Computational thinking
• Testing and debugging
• Precision movement

The challenge introduces students to autonomous robot navigation through a familiar real-world task, encouraging them to refine their programs through repeated testing.

One student operates an mBot while facing away from the obstacle course, relying on verbal directions from teammates to navigate the robot and knock down bowling pins along the route. The challenge requires participants to communicate clearly, listen carefully, and work together to complete the course without the driver seeing the robot.

Skills introduced:

• Teamwork and communication
• Spatial awareness
• Listening and following directions
• Collaborative problem-solving
• Precision robot control

During testing, I modified the original blindfolded design to have students face away from the course so they could still see the remote control. This adjustment improved usability while preserving the challenge's emphasis on communication and teamwork.