The project began with asking how best we can best create this drawing robot using the materials granted [ask]. From here we thought about the best shapes to use as a base, and how we want our robot to function [imagine].

From here we began building our robot just with hopes of it moving [build].

Once the robot worked we evaluated the situation and made adjustments to affect speed and movement; such as making the propellor longer with marker caps [evaluate]. Then we discussed what we thought of where the robot was at that point [share].

Then began the next round of the cycle once we received our work “sluggish.” I think the initial brainstorming of what “sluggish” is visually and physically was the most difficult part of the project [ask]. It’s not a word I think about often. Then we began to think about how we could best slow down our robot and create a sluggish feeling visually [imagine].

We began to add a lot of bland colored pipe cleaners in hopes of displaying a dragging feeling as well as to slow down the robot [build]. This addition was successful but we wanted to further dramatize the action of “sluggish” so we added a trail of dragon conte crayons [evaluate].

And lastly we shared with the group [share]. I think my favorite part of the whole process was going around and guessing what everyone’s project was. It was so fun seeing the variety of expression everyone’s robot displayed.

I learned a lot about the ways in which technology can be used to emulate expression and how people interpret different words. This project felt fairly unique from any art activity I’ve done in the past as I’ve never built something to express a single word. I could see using this project with middle school aged students in a similar context but with larger groups. I really enjoyed making them and I imagine it’s a project most students could find interest in one way or another. It could also be fun to add an additional element to the project of creating an external pathway that would guide the robots to draw something more specific.