Build a Robot Car That Follows a Line! 🚗

What is this experiment?

You will build a little car that drives by itself along a black line, without a remote control and without a computer. You connect the wires, and the car does the rest.

First you practice on the screen: connect the wires, then watch the car race around the track. Then you build the real car.

How does the car "see"?

The car has two eyes (the sensors). Each eye shines an invisible light onto the floor.

When one wheel stops and the other keeps spinning, the car turns. That's how it stays on the road. 🛣️

What will you discover?

• 🔋 Electricity needs a path. It must go from the battery, through the parts, and back again. This is called a circuit.
• 🔌 Red wire = plus (+), blue wire = minus (−). You will learn where each one belongs.
• 👀 Sensors are the car's eyes. They tell the car what is on the floor.
• 💪 The motor driver is the car's muscles. It takes the eyes' message and moves the wheels.
• 🔄 Why a car turns. You will see what happens when one wheel stops.
• 🐢🐇 Gears. A small part called a resistor can make your car slow, medium or turbo fast.
• 🔧 Fixing mistakes like an engineer. Put black tape on an eye, or swap two wires, and watch what goes wrong. Then find the problem and fix it!

Try these challenges

Remember: every engineer makes mistakes. Finding them is the best part of the fun! 🌟