From Cars to Robotic Arms: Inspiring Young Engineers Through Hands-On STEM

Growing up, I discovered my love for engineering through countless hands-on workshops and summer camps. Now, as a Bambu Lab School Ambassador, I've had the opportunity to share that same excitement with younger students.

Over the past few months, I designed and led a variety of workshops combining 3D printing, electronics, and physics. My first few workshops introduced students in grades 2—4 to potential and kinetic energy through 3D-printed Rubber Band Racers, which quickly became our biggest hit.

Before diving into the hands-on activities, I kicked off each workshop with an interactive presentation connecting physics concepts to fun real-world examples. By the end, students usually came up with tons of examples of kinetic and potential energy, including rubber bands, which was a perfect segue into our next activity.

Students picked out wheels, axles, and car bodies and assembled their own rubber band-powered cars. They also tested different rubber band sizes and thicknesses to see how they impacted their cars' performance in short and long-distance races.

My favorite part of these workshops was seeing students' faces light up the second their car took off for the first time. They loved competing with their friends, which encouraged them to experiment and improve their cars all while having fun.

I also bring a Bambu Lab printer to every workshop. Students watch in awe as it prints in front of them. Having the printer there takes the experience a step further, showing students how the very kits they're working with are made. By the end of each workshop, practically everyone has their hand up with questions about what else a 3D printer can do, and I love hearing all of their creative ideas.

A more advanced workshop I ran recently was the Robotic Arm Lab, where students split into two teams to build and test their own CyberBrick robotic arms. Then students paired up into three subgroups, each working on their own part of the arms.

They learned how transmitters, receivers, and servos all work together to bring their robotic arm to life. But most of all, the students loved working together. It was great to see how quickly they opened up to each other when it came time to put their subsystems together. I even had students tell me they planned to join their school's robotics club after the workshop!

Running hands-on engineering programs like the ones that sparked my love for STEM as a kid has been incredibly rewarding. I've noticed that after we work hands-on, kids become much more eager to ask questions and share their ideas with the class. It's amazing to see how engineering helps students open up and connect with one another.

Hearing from schools and organizations interested in hosting more workshops shows how much of an impact these workshops can have. I couldn't be more excited to continue creating opportunities for students to discover how exciting and creative engineering can be!