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Activity Stations &
Station Overview
Regency Robotics workshops feature a growing collection of hands-on robotics activity stations designed to introduce students to engineering, programming, computational thinking, and problem-solving.
Each station focuses on a different robotics concept while encouraging students to explore solutions through experimentation, testing, and iteration. Activities are designed to be modular, allowing libraries to rotate stations based on participant age, workshop length, and available equipment.
Students use Makeblock mBot robots and the mBlock app to explore robotics through sensor-based navigation, programming challenges, precision driving, creative design, and collaborative engineering activities.
As the program has evolved, additional activity stations have been developed through real-world workshop testing and participant feedback, creating a growing library of reusable STEM challenges.
Activity Station Documentation
Each activity station includes a volunteer-friendly setup guide that makes it easy for libraries, volunteers, and educators to recreate the activity.
Every guide includes:
Activity overview
Setup instructions
Suggested materials
Volunteer script
Volunteer tips
Optional extension challenge
Together, these guides provide a consistent structure that allows Regency Robotics workshops to be repeated while remaining easy to customize for different groups and learning environments.
Station 1: Line Tracking Challenge
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.
Station 2: Maze Programming Challenge
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.
Station 3: Obstacle Course Navigation
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.
Station 4: Dinosaur Rescue Mission
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.
Station 5: Crazy Frog Programming 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.
Station 6: Robot Art Studio
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.
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