Thames & Kosmos DLX, Experiment Manual, Page: 88 / 132

Juggling with the robot
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled robot
› IR remote control
› 5 AA batteries or 5 AA rechargeable batteries
› Balloon
HERE’S HOW
1. Familiarize yourself with the controls. Do you have a
good feel for them now?
2. Inflate the balloon until it’s just a little smaller than
the robot, and tie it closed.
3. Let go of the inflated balloon so it drifts toward the
ground.
4. Take the IR remote in your hand and drive the robot
under the balloon, trying to use the robot arms to
reach the balloon and tap it back up again — like a
juggler or a soccer player keeping a ball in the air.
5. How many times in a row can you manage to “kick” the
balloon back up before it hits the ground?
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Keeping a ball in the air,
also known as juggling,
isn’t very easy at first.
The best technique is to
tap the balloon with a
brief, well-aimed
movement. Try not to hit
the balloon too high in
the air. That way, you
will have better
control.
DID YOU KNOW?
Robots are some of the most beloved characters in
science fiction films. Here are just a few:
››› C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars”
››› Wall-E from “Wall-E”
››› Bumblebee from “Transformers”
››› Number 5 from “Short Circuit”
››› Bender from “Futurama: Bender’s Big Score”
››› Marvin from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy”
››› Rodney and Fender from “Robots”
Do you like to film things?
How about having your robot play the
starring role in your very own video? Let
your imagination run free!
TIP!
It’s best to use a ball pump
for blowing up the balloon.
WANT MORE?
EXPERIMENT 13
86