From a CANVAS Facebook post

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[Kids Creative Lab in Shibuya]

On Sunday, January 10, the Kids Creative Lab in Shibuya is hosting a workshop for kids and adults!
This month, we're making drawing robots!

Convenient robots that clean for us, robots that talk just like humans… There are all kinds of robots around us these days, but this time at the lab, we’re building a drawing robot that moves in mysterious ways! What’s
more, we’ll be making it using everyday materials you can find right at home. I wonder what we’ll end up with?

First, let’s build the robot’s body. Attach three pens to a plastic cup—these pens will serve as the robot’s legs.
Next, let’s install the motor—which provides the power—in the head.
We’ll use the motor’s movement to make the robot move, but it won’t move just by installing it.
We need to attach a weight to the motor to create vibrations and generate more power.
Now, let’s finally flip the switch and see the robot move. As everyone’s robots start moving with a
clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter sound, lines and shapes begin to appear on the table, marking the robots’ paths.

To control the movements of a drawing robot, the key is actually the weight attached to the motor.
This time, we used that familiar item found in pencil cases—something even kids are familiar with—as the weight, but we experimented with various ways to attach the weight to the motor and compared how the robot moved.Furthermore, by freely using the various materials provided, the participants decorated their robots, modified their bodies to use materials other than plastic cups, and even created a “two-person robot”!?—resulting in a range of unique creations.

It was really memorable when the robot started moving and both children and adults cheered in unison, “Wow, it moved!” I truly realized that making something with
your own hands—and seeing it move or respond—is an experience that excites both children and adults alike.At the Kids Creative Lab, we’ll continue to provide plenty of moments like these!

Click here to sign up for next month! Be sure to check it out!
http://www.canvas.ws/kenkyujo/shibuya/index.html