A bristlebot is a simple 'robot' made by putting a cellphone vibrator motor on a toothbrush. They scuttle around in a way that seems very lifelike but is totally random.

In these workshops, you will find out how to take bristlebots to a whole new level.

In the morning workshop, you will build a robot butterfly (sadly it does not have a brain and can't fly). This will take about an hour, including time to play with your robot. The morning sessions are suitable for children under 9 years old with parental assistance and supervision. The robot that you make is yours to take home.

In the afternoon session (2pm, bookable when a morning session is in your cart), we will build bristlebots with 'eyes' (photosensors) and a 'brain' (a simple electonic circuit) that can be activated and steered by shining a light on it. This will take two hours, maybe more. To attend an afternoon workshop you must be in at least year 7 at school and must have attended a morning session.

We will go over what you learned about electronics and mechanics and animal behaviour in the morning session (without realising it) and then explain how to add light sensors and transistors to a bristlebot so it can see a light and move towards it. When you see how and why to use a sensor and a transistor to control a motor then you can take home not just a cool robot that you built yourself but also an understanding of how to repair your robot when it breaks (it will) and how to design your own robots and electronic gadgets to do different things.

You can see our bristlebots in action in the Takarobot playlist on the Neuralian Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcgEtvDenbljbqidMWl602rHcgZ8kR11o).

Important Information: One ticket per robot-builder. Children under 9 years old must be accompanied by an adult (who may be required to assist with assembly). Accompanying adults do not require tickets.