On the 31st of May, I had the exciting opportunity to attend the Rhodes Robot Ball in Canada Bay to run a Fable robotics station. It was a pleasure to be a part of such a fantastic event and to witness so much passion and enthusiasm for robotics and STEM. During this event I facilitated two ROBO activity stations; Fable Soccer and Fable Golf. I’m pleased to report that they were both a real hit from start to finish!
ROBO Soccer had participants using the Fable spin module to drive and push soccer balls into the goals at the centre of the table using the computer keyboard arrows: up, down, left, and right. By utilising the collapse feature in Fable Blockly, I was able to hide the code from view, preventing any accidental changes. This simplified the experience for the young participants, allowing them to focus on strategy and robot navigation, creating a fun and competitive atmosphere while ensuring smooth operation for me as the facilitator. For this activity, there were four robots set up ready to play, ensuring the perfect level of competition bringing on some impressive defence work amidst all the goal scoring.
ROBO Golf had participants using the Fable joint module to swing and hit their ping pong ‘golf’ balls into two different cup holes using the up, down, and spacebar keys. A time series was programmed in Fable Blockly seen on the participants’ computers, allowing them to monitor the live speed of each golf swing. Similar to the ROBO Soccer activity, the code was hidden from view for ease of operation. However, participants interested in improving their accuracy were given the opportunity to expand back the code to adjust the speed. For this activity, there were three robots set up on the table, providing a perfectly precise arena for achieving many hole-in-ones!
It was fantastic to see everyone enjoying both of the Fable activities. Adding to the excitement of the night, there was also an MC who kept everyone entertained and a DJ who filled up the dance floor. There was also an excellent stamp passport activity that guided participants to each robotics station, ensuring they experienced everything the event had to offer.
Overall, the Rhodes Robot Ball was an inspiring celebration, bringing together a diverse group of participants united by their curiosity and enthusiasm for robotics and coding. I want to say a big thank you to the team at Canada Bay Libraries for having me. It was a pleasure to be part of the fantastic team of staff, volunteers, and vendors who made this event such a success.
