IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ROBOTICS AND BEYOND’S ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN ACADEMY TOPICS
Locations: Classes will be held in three locations in New Milford CT.
- Robotics And Beyond studio at Makery Coworking, 20 Bank St. (RAB, find on map)
- Education Without Walls, 65 Bridge St. (EWW, find on map)
- Hobby Hangout, 48 Anderson Ave. (HH, find on map)
Class times: Mornings: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Afternoons: 1:00 – 4:00 pm.
Lunch Arrangements: Students attending both morning and afternoon topics located at The Hobby Hangout must bring a lunch or arrange for delivery. Students having an afternoon class at 20 Bank St. or 65 Bridge St. may bring a lunch or buy it at one of the 5 nearby shops within walking distance (pizza, burgers, sandwiches, bagels, etc.).
Dropoff, PIckup and Transportation between classes: All students must be dropped off at the location of their first class and picked up at the location of their last class. Students attending either a morning or afternoon class at The Hobby Hangout and another class located at 20 Bank St. or 65 Bridge St. will be driven to their afternoon class. Extended hours are available from 8am-6pm at a cost of $10/hour.
Choosing an Academy topic: There is a new procedure for summer 2020 – You will be able to choose your topic schedule in our registration system. Topics are offered by half day schedules. If you want to attend for a full day, please register for half day morning and half day afternoon. When you select your half day schedule, a list of all topics available will be displayed for that time period. Since a topic will span an entire half day, you can only choose one topic for the morning and/or afternoon.
Advanced 3D Modeling, Product Design and 3D Printing (expand for details)
This class reaches advanced high school to early college level skills and is perfect for those with some experience wanting to learn or reinforce higher level skills. Topics include deeper use of the Inventor parts library, parts generators (for gears, extrusions, etc.), assemblies, teach the use of basic presentations and animations along with rendering, blueprints, mechanical stress test simulations. We will use a product development approach where each student chooses a product they want to design and use that design throughout the steps in the class. We will also cover skills in applied 3D printing such as print optimization and further tools and abilities to use 3D printers for real world projects. Students will also learn fundamentals of G-code and its role in transforming 3D visual models into motion of the 3D printer and for CNC machining.
Time and location: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Education Without Walls, 65 Bridge St., New Milford CT.
Prerequisites: For students aged 13+ with basic experience with any CAD software through a high school class or Robotics And Beyond CAD 2 summer camp topic.
Software: Autodesk Inventor or Autodesk Fusion 360
Advanced Graphic Design and Animation (expand for details)
Students will gain greater knowledge of skills and design concepts in graphic design and animation using the free, open-source software Krita. Krita is a step above FireAlpaca and more professional in capabilities and work on Linux, Windows and Mac operating systems.
Time and location: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Robotics And Beyond, 20 Bank St., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: A personal interest in creating 2D graphic art and designs and learning to animate them. Students must be comfortable using FireAlpaca, Krita, Adobe Photoshop or other design and animation software. Computers will be provided at no cost if needed.
Software: Krita. Installation with automatic updates costs $10 at the Windows Store or Steam. Students may download either free or fee-based software onto their computers before the class or it can be installed during the first class.
Advanced Java (expand for details)
Advanced Java serves as a review of Robotics and Beyond Java 1 and 2 and expands on the basics of these classes to use Java to implement complex algorithms and learn abstract programming concepts. The algorithms (standard sorts and searches) and concepts (object orientation, abstraction, and recursion) are fundamental to programming and can be applied to many other languages besides Java. Many of the topics covered in this course are important in AP Computer Science A and introductory college-level computer science courses. Students are encouraged to bring their own computer to allow work at home after the class but computers will be provided if needed.
Time and location: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Education Without Walls, 65 Bridge St., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: Students are expected to have already taken Robotics and Beyond Java 1 and 2, or have adequate experience with Java already. An interest in progressing in Java and learning abstract programming concepts is a must.
Software: Eclipse, JDK (both free)
Advanced Python (expand for details)
The Academy Python class reviews the Robotics and Beyond Python 1 and 2 topics and expands to fundamentals of algorithms and abstract programming concepts, which are important for many other programming languages. Many of the topics covered in this course will introduce upper-level high school and beginning undergraduate computer science material. Students are encouraged to bring their own computer to allow work at home after the class but computers will be provided if needed. Students will also meet with a Python developer who will share insight to the applications for Python, pathways to acquiring deep skills, combining it with other languages to solve real-word coding problems, and what to expect in actual careers.
Time and location: 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Education Without Walls, 65 Bridge St., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: Students are expected to have already taken Robotics and Beyond Python 1 and 2, or have adequate experience with Python. Knowledge of properties, variables, classes, loops and a personal interest in Python and learning abstract programming concepts is essential. A love of programming and learning is also recommended, but will be provided if necessary. 😉
Software: Python, IDE if bringing computer (a sufficient one will provide autocomplete and highlight basic errors)
Drone Aircraft (expand for details)
This class is intended for older students with a high interest in drone technology. Some of the specific topics to be covered include: benefits and hazards of drones, federal and local regulations, types of drones, design fundamentals, power system, principles of flight and drone flight dynamics, and basic videography from drones. Students will also learn about specific applications of drone technology and brainstorm how the applications determine what factors are most important and how they affect the design of the entire system.
Students will participate in the building of an advanced-level drone, learn to fly drones of various size and power and gain experience racing drones through a course visually and using Virtual Reality headsets. Students may bring their own drone to get help with repairs or flying technique.
Lab fee: A $45 lab fee covers the use of RC vehicles and aircraft during the class and the cost of kits that will be assembled by groups of students in the class. RC vehicles and aircraft assembled in the class may be purchased to take home at a fee of approximately $100 and $160. Please send an email to camp@roboticsandbeyond.org if interested in that option.
Time and location: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; The Hobby Hangout, 48 Anderson Ave., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: For students aged 13+ with high interest in drone technology. Experience flying a drone will be helpful but not necessary.
Game Design with Unity (expand for details)
This Academy topic will introduce the basic functions of the game development platform Unity. Students will learn to begin new projects, locate and use existing game code and become familiar with C# (C-sharp) as a programming language. Skills and concepts will include basic 2D and 3D game designs, art and design tools, graphics rendering and others. Computers will be provided at no cost during class if needed.
Time and location: 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Robotics And Beyond, 20 Bank St., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: A personal interest in the topic of game theory and game programming. Students must have at least an introductory knowledge of any C-based language such as C#, C+ or Arduino C. A working knowledge of Python or Java will also be acceptable. Computers will be provided at no cost if needed.
Software: Unity (free)
Advanced Circuit Design and Fabrication (expand for details)
This class will be an asset for anyone thinking of pursuing electronics or electrical engineering in college, trade school and a career, and is appropriate for students with some prior experience in electronics and strong interest in the subject. Students will take existing knowledge of circuit fundamentals and apply them to create a physical board designed and assembled by each student. The process from design to fabrication has many steps and each involves new skills that make new DIY (do-it-yourself) opportunities possible for the student. From the simple & practical maths, to using circuit design software, to the last step of hands-on soldering, this class helps students gain confidence and experience of going from idea to reality within one week.
Lab fee: A $35 lab fee covers the cost of electronic boards, components and board fabrication materials.
Time and location: 1:00 – 4:00 pm; The Hobby Hangout, 48 Anderson Ave., New Milford CT
Prerequisites: Robotics And Beyond summer camp topic of basic electronics and soldering, or experience from personal projects that involves building electronic circuits from kits or original designs. Experience with any circuit design software such as Eagle, Fritzing or CircuitMaker.
Visit this site for a handy list of circuit design software options: https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326778#
Software: Autodesk Eagle, available through free student license
Open Studio - Independent Study (expand for details)
Open Studio is for students not enrolled in one of the 6 class topics for mornings or afternoons, or who are staying for extended hours due to transportation. Students will work on their own projects or continue working on the topic they are taking as a class, and can collaborate with other Academy students. If available, our instructor staff will assist and answer questions. Students will have use of the space and equipment if it is available. Robotics And Beyond computers used for their class will also be available if not being used for another topic. Students must bring a lunch unless they are allowed to walk to a shop near the New Milford green.
Registration Note: This is a separate registration from the Academy topics. You will need to select Academy Week Open Studio on our registration page.
Time and location: Open Studio time depends on whether a student has the morning (9:00 am – 12:00 pm) or afternoon (1:00 – 4:00 pm) free, and depends on what topic they want to work in.
