Wiggle Bug

Materials

· Battery Housing

· 2 AA Batteries

· Tongue Depressor

· Motor

· 3 Pieces Two-sided tape

· 2 Tiny Craft Sticks

· Small Eraser

· Scissors

· Electrical Tape

· Googly Eyes

· 3 Pipe Cleaners

Procedure

1. On the back of the motor, there are two small pieces of metal with holes in them. Thread the exposed end of one wire from the battery housing into one hole, and thread the other into the other hole. Fold the wires around the pieces of metal so that they stay.

2. Place the AA batteries into the housing to ensure that the circuit is complete and the motor receives power. Make sure the batteries are properly placed.

3. Remove one of the batteries from the housing for now. Using the electrical tape, tape the motor to one end of the tongue depressor with the end of the motor that turns extending beyond the tongue depressor.

4. Using the large piece of two-sided tape, secure the battery housing (with the open side facing up) to the tongue depressor directly behind the motor (you may need to arrange the wires so they are not in the way).

5. There will now be a part of the tongue depressor that extends behind the battery housing—use the scissors to carefully cut/break this off.

6. Press the eraser onto the end of the motor by pressing it onto the part that turns until it goes through. Make sure it is off-center.

7. Using the two smaller pieces of two-sided tape, secure the two tiny craft sticks horizontally on the bottom of the tongue depressor near either end. The narrower side of the tiny craft sticks should be stuck to the tongue depressor so there is a gap between the bug and workspace. The tiny craft sticks are the legs of the wiggle bug.

8. Your wiggle bug is complete! Place the batteries back into the housing and watch it move! How can you modify the legs to make it move differently? Use the other materials to decorate your wiggle bug!

Science Behind it!

Using your imagination and a few upcycled materials, you are creating unique robots  by learning about microelectronics along the way. You have become your own engineer in the process.

A circuit is a loop of energy that is continuous. For a circuit to work, it has to have a power source (battery), a conductor (material which electricity can flow through), and the object that is being powered (motor). Sometimes, the object is a light or a fan. The conductors are the wires that are inside the thread connected to the motor and the battery. We cannot touch the metal that the wires are made of, or what might happen? You might get shocked and you become part of the circuit. Hint! What are we mostly made of? I know you like science, but this could make for a rough day. In order to make this safe, the metal wire is wrapped in a rubber coating, which is a terrible conductor of electricity. Have fun designing and creating your own wiggle bug!