Build a hand sanitizer dispenser with Thymio!

Age range: 11-15 years old

Difficulty:

Length: 3h

• x1 Thymio robot and its USB cable
• x1 angled USB cable (optional)
• x1 power bank (optional)
• x1 micro SD card (more info about recommended micro SD cards can be found here)
• Some Lego Mindstorms or Lego Technic bricks
• x1 bottle of hand sanitizer gel

Thymio + Lego: endless possibilities!

Thymio is Lego compatible. The Thymio/Lego combination is a powerful one, that allows anyone to build a lot of cool robots! Integrate a Thymio in your Lego construction to create all kinds of automatic machines:

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Build a hand sanitizer dispenser

Real life application projects remain the best way to learn robotics and programming. In this tutorial, we will list and explain what are the main steps to follow to build a hand sanitizer dispenser with Thymio.

Once your dispenser built, just set i up in your classroom so you and your students can wash your hands on a regular basis!

In this tutorial, we are giving you some pointers, as well as the Aseba code to build a certain type of dispenser. Off course, feel free to modify our work, or go with something completely different!

The Aseba code we provide you with was created specifically for our hand sanitizer dispenser. Your project might be different enough from ours so that you need to create a different program!

We used Aseba to program our device, but you can program Thymio with Scratch 3, Blockly and Mobsya’s VPL.

What should be taken into account in this project?

Before starting a project in robotics (or in other fields), it is important to list the constraints, the points to be respected, as well as what kind of issues you might encounter.

If this list is not complete before you start your project, don’t worry, you will add to it while you build and code!

The important thing is to have this list done once the project is over, so you can share it with other users, who will than be able to focus on improving your original project. That’s what the community is all about!

Our list of constraints for the Thymio and Lego hand sanitizer dispenser:

• The hand sanitizer bottle needs to be flexible enough
• The solution should not be too thick or sticky
• The bottle’s pump should not be too hard to push (in order not to strain the motors)
• The bottle must be firmly held in the Lego structure.
• You might sometimes need to set up the wheels back in “up” position
• Be careful, Thymio does not like hand sanitizer gel! Don’t forget to build a system to avoid any accident! For our part, we have 3D printed a small receptacle.
• Leave some space for the power cable. We used an angled-USB cable.
• The wheels must spin off the surface.
• Do not over-stress the Lego parts.
• Remember to leave some space for your power bank (if needed).

Galerie de photos du distributeur de gel hydroalcoolique Génération Robots

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Robotics and healthcare

As shown in this blogpost, robots can be a great help in improving the sanitary quality of our living and working environment.

Different projects can be implemented, such as this hand-washing timer made with Cubelets!

Thymio 2020 Challenge preannouncement

On September 30th 2020, the Thymio 2020 Challenge contest will begin!

Organized by Génération Robots, Mobsya, Roteco and R2T2, the Thymio 2020 Challenge is a worldwide contest for all middle school students (and their teachers)!

Their mission: helping stop the spread of Coronavirus by building a hydroalcoholic gel dispenser, powered by a Thymio robot.

The Thymio 2020 Challenge will start on September 30 at 16:00 (CEST).

The official launch of the contest will be announced during the third Thymio webinar, organized by Roteco, Mobsya and R2T2.

If you want to get involed, we advise you to read the Thymio Challenge 2020 Terms & Conditions on Roteco website.