Hi there!
My name is Ms. Ariani, the Head Tinkerer of Ingenia. Welcome to my maker space where I spend a lot of time coming up with new ideas, testing them, and bringing them to life for fun and to solve real problems for the people of Ingenia. You have come at just the right time. I have been up to my ears in projects and I need the extra help.
The warmer months are quickly approaching, and I need a fan because it is hot in the Tinker Shop. However, an average fan just won’t do. I need something unique and innovative, we are at the Tinker Shop of course! I want to challenge you to make a fan that not only cools the room but maybe changes colors or plays music. Do you think you can help me? Of course you can, you are the perfect engineer (maker) for the job!
That is where you come in. I‘m leaving the creation of the smart fan up to you. Now, don’t look so shocked! It is an important job, but a fairly easy one. I selected you as my apprentice today because I heard of your amazing abilities. And, I‘ve prepared all the materials already. I just need you to assemble them.
If you want to earn your maker badge (and maybe even become a Mechanical Engineer like me one day), creating a smart fan is a great place to start. A maker as someone who loves to create, build, and invent amazing things using their imagination and creativity. You will use the following materials to build a sensor-activated fan. Along the way, you will also learn about different types of sensors, how fans work, and block-based coding.
First, please check that you have the following materials that I have prepared:
- Motherboard
- Bracket Board
- Fan Motor
- Fan Head
- Ultrasonic Sensor
- Black Plastic Rivets (3)
- Short Screw (16)
- Medium Screw (2)
- Long Screw (4)
- Brass Stud (4)
- Hex Nut (4)
- Wrench
- Short Beam
- Long Beam
- Base Beam (2)
- Linking Beam (2)
- Hex Screwdriver
- Lithium Battery
- Remote
- Black Connection Cables (2)
- USB Cable
Are they all there? Great, let’s grab our tools and start assembling the fan!
Sensors are amazing devices that can tell you all sorts of things about the world around you. They are used in many different devices to help them work properly. Let’s learn about some types of sensors and how they are used in different devices!
1. Temperature Sensor: This sensor can tell you how hot or cold something is. It is used in things like thermostats to control the temperature in your house and in thermometers to measure your body temperature when you’re sick.
2. Light Sensor: Have you ever noticed that your phone’s screen gets brighter in the sunlight? That’s because the phone’s light sensor can detect how much light is around and adjust the brightness accordingly. Light sensors are also used to make streetlights turn on when it gets dark.
3. Motion Sensor: Motion sensors can tell if something is moving. You might have seen them in your home’s security system. When someone walks past a motion sensor, it can trigger a light or an alarm. They are also used in video games to make characters move when you do.
4. Proximity Sensor: Proximity sensors can tell how close something is to an object. They are used in automatic doors to open when you get near them without having to touch anything. They are also found in some phones to turn off the screen when you hold the phone close to your face during a call.
5. Pressure Sensor: These sensors can tell you how much force is being applied to something. Pressure sensors are used in bathroom scales to measure your weight, and can also be found in car tires to let you know if they need more air.
6. Touch Sensor: You use touch sensors every day! They are found in touchscreens on phones, tablets, and even some toys. When you touch the screen, the sensor can tell where you have pressed, allowing you to play games or use apps with your fingers.
Sensors are great helpers that gather information about the world and give it to the devices so they can do their jobs better. They are like little detectives that help things work smarter and more efficiently. So, next time you use your phone or see a light turn on automatically, remember that it’s all thanks to the clever sensors inside!
Great job engineer, the fan looks great! However, there’s just one more step. As a Mechanical engineer, your job was to design, develop, build, and test machines. You could go on to even work on the motors that are built into hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, elevators, car engines, and space shuttles, just to name a few.
However, these machines can not simply operate on their own…they need computer software to give instructions on how to work. That’s when a mechanical engineer would call on their partner, a Computer or Software Programmer create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run”. If they have a product that does not work, programmers are required to recheck the program for mistakes and modify it until it works. The code you use in a programming language is like the brain and it tells your smart fan what functions to perform like our brain tells our body what to do. Electronic devices like cell phones, laptops, and tablets require code to function properly. Coding allows humans to communicate with these devices. Modern technology such as traffic lights, calculators, smart TVs, and cars use internal coding systems as well.
If you are interested in exploring how a Programmer does her job, you can check out the Smart Girl Fan Simulator that we have created for you! Simulators are virtual examples of real-life situations. We created a digital fan simulator using a block-based coding program called Scratch. Block coding allows you to drag and drop blocks of text-based computer commands together to build computer programs, animations, games, or commands for a fan like ours. Using a simulator is a good way to try out different commands and see the immediate results on the screen before sending the final program to the real device!
YOU TRY!!
Click on the purple “See Inside” button at the top right of the screen to see the fan’s code.
Challenge #1: What happens when you press 1, 2, or 3 on your keyboard? Can you figure out how to change the speed?
Challenge #2: Pressing button 4 will make the fan cheer for you because you are awesome! But now I want to switch it up… Can you figure out how to change the speed? Bonus: Open the “Sound” tab on the top-left to add or customize what you hear.
Challenge #3: I think the yellow fan blades are cool, but I wonder if there is a way to use something different. Can you figure out how to make something else spin instead of the fan sprite?
You finished customizing your smart fan. Now cool off with your new smart device! I am very proud of you. I hope you enjoyed learning about mechanical engineering and how to use engineering and coding concepts in real life. Try experimenting with your new skills to make other fun things!
Of course, remember to stay safe around electricity and have an adult nearby to make sure you’re safe.
That’s all I have for you to do right now. Take a break and cool off with your new smart fan. I‘m sure I‘ll have something for you to do next.
Until next time,
Head Engineer Ariani