Marty the Robot

Device: Marty the Robot is a programmable humanoid robot with lots of character. Marty is equipped with several separate motors meaning he can walk, dance, kick a football, and even eyebrow-wiggle. It is a Scottish invention (Robotical Ltd) which has been designed to create a learning journey from unplugged activities to engage early years, block coding for primary and early-secondary aged pupils, to text-based programming using Python for secondary pupils and beyond. 

Activity Description: This Code Like Kids module introduces Marty’s unplugged and sequencer modes, followed by MartyBlocks Jr (based on Scratch Jr), before moving onto MartyBlocks (based on Scratch). Then, using Digital Xtra’s five robots – Marty McFly, Doc Brown, Marlene, Marty Jr, and Martina – teams will use their collective imaginations to plan a workout or dance routine including as much noise, movement, and personality as possible! With nine servo motors to allow movement (three in each leg, one for each arm, and one to move the eyes), the sky’s the limit. Each team will then show off what they’ve learned with bonus points for the most creative and fun routines!

Duration and group size: Approximately 1 hour working in groups of 2-3 

Set up: Cabaret or horseshoe-style setup to facilitate interaction amongst learners. Power sources for laptops may also be required