# Soft Robotics for Kids with LEGO Mindstorms ## expand\_more This project outlines how to build programmable Lego Mindstorms projects to use pneumatic components of the Soft Robotics Toolkit. The goal was to replace portions of the Fluidic Control Board with an EV3 Programmable Brick so that it's easier for kids to work with. In this first version, the focus is on the pneumatic elements. The team that worked on this project is [Sunset Spark](https://sunsetspark.org). They're a non-profit in Brooklyn that helps first generation immigrant families -- kids and adults -- make cool things with technology. This project was worked on by Yadira and Gaelen Hadlett with occasional field testing by Ilo Hadlett. **Outreach and Access** The team wanted to add soft robotics to our robotics classes. The organization teaches many robotics classes for 4th - 8th grade students using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and NXT, so we thought it would be good to build off their LEGO skills and create a prototype to integrate soft robotics in with Mindstorms kits. The organization's mission is to help immigrant families make cool things with technology. To make this happen, they routinely look for the latest in tech so that our families are exposed to as many innovations as possible in hands on ways. Typically these classrooms are overlooked or left behind in STEM culture, or receive older "technology" that's no longer current. With advancements in DIY & desktop fabrication, this does not need to be the case. Sunset Spark wants their students to be on the vanguard of robotics. To do that, the latest in soft robotics research needs to be adapted for hands on use in K-12 classrooms. The Soft Robotics Toolkit control board is more than a bit daunting for kids. The organization has taught engineering classes around subjects like robotics, Arduinos, soft circuitry to 4th-8th graders for over 5 years, and wiring things up is the most painstaking task for the kids. The Fluidic Control Board has lots of wires. Replacing a portion of the Soft Robotics Toolkit with LEGOs would make it easier for kids to work with. **Building on Pop Culture** Many of their students are informally familiar with soft robotics through the puffy robot Baymax from *Big Hero 6*. The students know that he's powered by air, which is a big departure from the design behind last famous cartoon robot, the eponymous WALL-E. Kids loved building their own interpretation of WALL-E in our LEGO robotics classes using common components like wheels and treads, but aren't sure where to start with Baymax because they've never seen or touched anything like it. Having hands on pneumatic components for kids to experiment with would be a great start to fleshing out their mental concepts of what soft robotics can do. **Soft and Hybrid Robots for K-12 STEAM** A simple hand air pump along with the pneumatic actuators could give them that hands on feel, but will it bring it to life? The Cornell Creative Machines Lab published a paper outlining a squeeze bulb powered soft robotics actuator for K-12 classrooms. That was a great first step, but kids can do so much more. In the organization's robotics classes, kids build and program robots that play instruments, simulate animals and monsters, and perform competitive and creative tasks. They're already equipped to build and program, so why not build off of that for learning about soft robotics? By combining the pneumatic actuators with LEGO robots, students can experiment with soft robotics by building their own hybrid soft-rigid robots. Since many classrooms already have these kits, the costs to add soft robotics to them would be less then $60 per kit, which include the purchase of a new Mindstorms sensor, pneumatic LEGO Technic pumps, silicone rubber, and 3d printing the mold. Taking into account a class size of 20 students with 3 students to a kit, this would cost less than $30 per student, a very affordable price for getting kids involved in soft robotics. The goal of this project is to create a design for controlling pneumatic actuators included in the Soft Robotics Toolkit using Lego Mindstorms EV3 or NXT kits typically used in K-12 robotics classes. The design will allow students to set and change the pressure by programming Mindstorms software to create hybrid robots by combining rigid LEGO pieces with soft robotics components. Students will be engaging in modern robotics research and be inspired to pursue robotics further. In effect, this will allow schools to have their own soft robotics competitions with their students. See also:- [ Documents ](/page-categories/documents)