Boe-Bot facts for kids

The BOE-Bot is a cool robot kit used in schools to teach about robotics. Its name, BOE-Bot, means "Board of Education robot." It comes with a main circuit board, a small computer called a BASIC Stamp microcontroller, motors for its wheels, and a strong metal frame. You can even add Lego blocks or other parts to make your own unique robot designs! Parallax Inc has been making and selling the BOE-Bot since 1998.

What Makes Up a BOE-Bot?

The main green circuit board on top of the robot is called the Board of Education. A small computer, the BASIC Stamp, plugs into this board. You program the BASIC Stamp using a language called PBASIC.

The BOE-Bot is small, about four inches wide. It runs on four AA batteries. Its back wheel is a special ball held in place with a pin. The main wheels attach to the motors with screws. The best part is, you don't need to do any soldering to put it together!

You can add more parts to your BOE-Bot. For example, you can add a PING ultrasonic sensor. This sensor helps the robot "see" by sending out sound waves. These extra pieces let your robot do even more cool things.

Cool Things Your BOE-Bot Can Do

The BOE-Bot is a very versatile robot. You can program it to do many different tasks. Imagine your robot following a line on the floor. Or maybe it can find its way through a maze!

You can also teach it to follow light. It can even talk to other robots! The robot has a special area called a breadboard. Here, you can add small electronic parts like lights (LEDs) or resistors. This lets you build custom projects right on your robot.

The BOE-Bot uses the PBASIC language for programming. This language helps you give instructions to your robot. You can also combine it with software like Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio. This gives you even more ways to control your robot's movements.

Learning with the BOE-Bot in Class

The BOE-Bot is a popular tool for learning about robots. Many schools and universities use it. Students as young as twelve can put it together. It's a great way to learn the PBASIC programming language.

Professor Chuck Schoeffler helped create the BOE-Bot. Parallax, Inc. sells it as an educational kit. It's part of their "Stamps In Class" program. This program helps students learn about technology.

Universities like the University at Buffalo and Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science use the BOE-Bot. Sacramento State University also uses it. Students in these programs learn about Mechatronics, which combines mechanics and electronics.

The BOE-Bot helps students start their own robotics projects. It's a hands-on way to learn how robots work.

Where to Find BOE-Bot Information

The BOE-Bot is featured in special workbooks from Parallax. It's also in a book called "123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius." This book has many fun projects to try.

You can buy the BOE-Bot and its extra parts from many electronics stores. Some of these include RobotShop, RadioShack, Digi-Key, and SparkFun Electronics.

Images for kids

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  A traditional Boe-Bot

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  An Arduino based Boe-Bot