Brushbots for Educational Robotics

Abstract

Due to their simple construction, brushbots are popular and widely known as craft objects. Building instructions promise tinkering fun and a promoting effect but minor as low-cost research objects. They are regarded as microbots and give opportunities for discussions. One questions to answer is whether their chaotic motion can be influenced. Therefore, this contribution deals with an examination of factors influencing their movement behaviour. The aim was to show experimental work and to discuss the potential of brushbots in three directions: first, to propose a cheap platform to evaluate the motion capabilities of different designs; second, to offer an approach to improve vibrobots concerning experimentation results in the design process; and third, to provide a sample that can be transferred to schools. For this purpose, the basics of brushbots are presented, and the experiments and their results are described. The results offer inspiration for teaching applications that go beyond mere tinkering and provide approaches for further research.