damien@damienkee.com
Blog posts
A collection of projects and thoughts that don’t really fit anywhere else.
Blog posts have been move between various platforms for more than 15 years so
there might be some broken links and/or missing videos and images.
Please let me know if you find anything missing!
![Scratch Programming – Starter Projects – Damien Kee]()
Scratch Programming – Starter Projects – Damien Kee
Jan 21, 2025I’ve always loved using Scratch to teach programming. It’s such a fantastic tool, quick to get up and running, with a low barrier to entry, and it allows students to create engaging programs...
![3D Printed bonsai pot – Damien Kee]()
3D Printed bonsai pot – Damien Kee
Jan 8, 2025A little bit of downtime over the holidays, and a new 3D printer that I got late last year meant that a new project was in order. I’ve been dabbling with some Jade Bonsai for the last 12 mon...
![Simple classroom starter activities for MicroBits – Damien Kee]()
Simple classroom starter activities for MicroBits – Damien Kee
Dec 12, 2024 For this year’s EduTech booth, I brought along a selection of MicroBit projects that demonstrated what could be done with the devices. I love my MicroBits and am always amazed at what yo...
![3D Printing – Catan boardgame insert – Damien Kee]()
3D Printing – Catan boardgame insert – Damien Kee
Jan 13, 2023Over this holiday period, we’ve been playing a lot of boardgames at home. Catan is a favourite at the moment and while all the components used to be kept in bags, I decided to model up a cus...
![4 Starter Arduino Projects for Classrooms – Damien Kee]()
4 Starter Arduino Projects for Classrooms – Damien Kee
Aug 6, 2021I’m often asked by Teacher about what more they can do with Arduino’s beyond just flashing LED’s. I’ve put together a few simple projects that could serve as starting points for students wi...
![SPYKEE – SPIKE Prime Classroom Build Instructions – Damien Kee]()
SPYKEE – SPIKE Prime Classroom Build Instructions – Damien Kee
Apr 9, 2020This is my simple SPIKE Prime Building Instructions. It is very quick to build and uses very few pieces. This makes it useful in a classroom setting as it means that teachers can spend less...
![Why have a 3D printer in class? – Damien Kee]()
Why have a 3D printer in class? – Damien Kee
Oct 31, 2019I’m often asked what are the benefits of 3D printers in schools. Too often people look at the ‘product’ that is being made by the students and incorrectly believe that the educational value ...
![USC – STEM Robotics Day – Damien Kee]()
USC – STEM Robotics Day – Damien Kee
May 16, 2019I recently ran a multi-day STEM camp robotics day for the University of the Sunshine Coast. Here are a few of the projects we did – Mobility Challenge, Robot Wave, Ball throw and Musical In...
EV3 Button Press Game – Damien Kee
Mar 27, 2019One of the activities I run with my Intermediate Students. “How fast can you press the button?” They learn about Data Wires, Variables, Math and Compare Blocks. It is always great to see ho...
![Adding Personality to Your Robot – BrickJournal Issue 35 – Damien Kee]()
Adding Personality to Your Robot – BrickJournal Issue 35 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 35, 2015 Adding Personality While it great achievement to get your robot up and moving, and an even better achievement to have it reacting t...
![Give Your Bot a Voice – BrickJournal Issue 38 – Damien Kee]()
Give Your Bot a Voice – BrickJournal Issue 38 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 38, 2016 Getting your robot to Speak (not just the ‘official’ phrases) The sounds that are built into the EV3 system are numerous and awesom...
![My Blocks-> The Basics – BrickJournal Issue 36 – Damien Kee]()
My Blocks-> The Basics – BrickJournal Issue 36 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 36, 2015 My Blocks – The basics What are they? My Blocks are a way to represent lots of instructions with just a single block. What that mea...
![Powered Attachments – BrickJournal Issue 32 – Damien Kee]()
Powered Attachments – BrickJournal Issue 32 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 32, 2015 Powered Attachments If you’ve been following along with our previous articles, you’ll be familiar with making your robot drive arou...
![Programming Turns for Your Robot – BrickJournal Issue 30 – Damien Kee]()
Programming Turns for Your Robot – BrickJournal Issue 30 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article appeared in BrickJournal Issue 30, 2014 In the last installment of the MINDSTORMS articles we looked at how to program your robot to drive in a straight line. And while that is ...
![RileyRover – Brickjournal Issue 28 – Damien Kee]()
RileyRover – Brickjournal Issue 28 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 28, 2014 One of the most important commands we can give a robot, especially a moving robot, are commands that tell the motors what to do. Th...
![The Perils of Dead Reckoning – Brickjournal Issue 33 – Damien Kee]()
The Perils of Dead Reckoning – Brickjournal Issue 33 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 33, 2015 The perils of Dead Reckoning! It is common for many teams when competing in Robotics competitions to rely heavily on dead reckoning...
![Using the Color Sensor – BrickJournal Issue 31 – Damien Kee]()
Using the Color Sensor – BrickJournal Issue 31 – Damien Kee
Feb 28, 2019This article first appeared in BrickJournal Issue 31, 2014 Using Sensors When using just the Move Steering blocks, we are always directing the robot to do a specific set of movements. This i...
![How thin a line, can the EV3 detect? – Damien Kee]()
How thin a line, can the EV3 detect? – Damien Kee
Mar 13, 2018So there was a question that came through the EV3 Facebook group by Ana “Hello! Has anyone tested (or is there any documentation about) the line width that the EV3 light / color sensor is ca...
Arduino Student Workshop – Damien Kee
Feb 11, 2018In late 2017 I got the chance to work with some amazing Grade 9 students in Far North Queensland for a 2 day Arduino Workshop. Day 1: Learn the basics of the Arduino system, simple sensors ...
![VEX IQ – R2D2 – Damien Kee]()
VEX IQ – R2D2 – Damien Kee
Dec 12, 2017Backstory At the VEX World Championships in 2016, I was really lucky to have the opportunity to drive around Steve Hassenplug’s full sized VEX R2D2. As I was doing it, I was amazed at how e...
![Game of Simon / Memory – Damien Kee]()
Game of Simon / Memory – Damien Kee
Oct 17, 2017Every year we have a LEGO fan expo and I love to make creations that are interactive. All too often kids are not allowed to touch anything at these expos and so they love it when they have ...
How fast does a fidget spinner spin? – Damien Kee
Sep 13, 2017In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 datalogging capabilities to measure how fast a fidget spinner spins. I use a Colour Sensor in reflected Light Mode, positi...
Central Queensland University, invited Lecture – Damien Kee
Mar 17, 2017I was recently invited by CQUni to give a guest lecture. I spoke for about 45 minutes on the topic “Don’t Teach Robotics, use Robotics to Teach”. The main crux of the talk was that in educa...
![Simple Datalogging Experiment – Temperature rise inside a Car – Damien Kee]()
Simple Datalogging Experiment – Temperature rise inside a Car – Damien Kee
Jan 20, 2017It’s been hot here in Australia. Maximums have been around 30C-35C all week and the humidity up over 50%. We get the occasional news story about the dangers of leaving kids and pets in cars ...
![SCRATCH Coding Cards – Damien Kee]()
SCRATCH Coding Cards – Damien Kee
Jan 6, 2017I was asked a few weeks ago if I’d like a review copy of these cards and I thought, ‘why not?’ and then promptly forgot about them. Fast forward to last week and they rock up on my doorstep ...
![Meccano – Meccanoid XL 2.0 Review – Damien Kee]()
Meccano – Meccanoid XL 2.0 Review – Damien Kee
Dec 22, 2016I was recently sent the newest Humanoid robot offering from Meccano, the Meccanoid XL 2.0 . It is apparently an upgrade from last years G15KS. Full disclosure, this was sent to me for free ...
![Don’t Teach Robotics….. Use Robots to Teach! – Damien Kee]()
Don’t Teach Robotics….. Use Robots to Teach! – Damien Kee
Nov 28, 2016This is a bit of a long spiel, of a topic that I’ve been mulling over for the last few years. I’ve been teaching with robots for over 15 years now and one of the most common question I get ...
Education2.1 Radio interview – Damien Kee
Oct 29, 2016I was recently interviewed on our local radio station as part of their Education2.1 segment. It’s 10 minutes long and Wayne Chalmers and I chat about robots in the classroom, how I got into...
VEX2-D2 – Updated! – Damien Kee
Sep 27, 2016I made a VEX IQ version of R2D2 a little while back and while it was a lot of fun, it wasn’t quite right. I built it just using the parts I had on hand and as a result it ended up predomina...
![Simple EV3 Voting Machine – Damien Kee]()
Simple EV3 Voting Machine – Damien Kee
Sep 19, 2016I had an email from a teacher recently asking for some advice on how to put together a voting machine using the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3. I quickly put together this example as a starting point. ...
Simple EV3 Demonstration robots – Damien Kee
Sep 12, 2016I’m often asked to give quick demos of my robots to show off what they would be capable of in a classroom setting. I have three different models that I regularly fall back to to show off ba...
VEX2-D2 – Damien Kee
Jul 8, 2016So the last few weeks / months have been pretty crazy/busy so over this last week I’ve done something that I haven’t done in quite a while – build something cool just because I want to. I d...
![New Book! VEX IQ with RobotC Graphical – Damien Kee]()
New Book! VEX IQ with RobotC Graphical – Damien Kee
Jun 8, 2016It’s been a while, but the next book is now ready. If you’ve been using the VEX IQ robot platform, but prefer the RobotC programming language over Modkit, then here is the book for you! Clic...
![Testing the Tumblebug (EV3 and VEX IQ) – Damien Kee]()
Testing the Tumblebug (EV3 and VEX IQ) – Damien Kee
Dec 22, 2015So the title sounds awfully dry, but this is a project I’ve been meaning to do for a very long time. A few years back one of my boys received a ‘Tumble Bug’ toy for Christmas. It’s a pretty...
EV3 Linefollowing robot via Bluetooth – Damien Kee
Nov 11, 2015A recent discussion on the LEGO Community forum about the WeDo kit led to an interesting question. ‘Could you run a simple robot, with off board (on tablet or PC) processing? ie. Could you ...
Fix a broken EV3 button – Damien Kee
Nov 4, 2015I had a student press the cancel button a little too hard today and it got stuck in a ‘down’ position and wouldn’t work any more. You could still run programs as per normal, but you couldn’...
Simon Game – VEX-IQ version – Damien Kee
Aug 12, 2015The game of Simon is a lot of fun for kids and adults alike. The basic premise is this: Device does an action (display a light, plays a sound etc.) Player has to repeat the action (press a ...
Simon Game – LEGO EV3 version – Damien Kee
Aug 6, 2015The game of Simon has been popular for many years. The basic premise is this: Device does an action (display a light, plays a sound etc.) Player has to repeat the action (press a button cor...
![Workshop EV3 Quick Build – Damien Kee]()
Workshop EV3 Quick Build – Damien Kee
Jul 21, 2015My RileyRover is my favourite build when I’m working with groups over more than just a session or two as it relatively sturdy and has a lot of great places to add attachments and modificati...
Contracting out robot design for competitions? – Damien Kee
Jun 28, 2015So I recently had this email land in my mailbox and was quite disturbed. Identifying details removed. “I am a teacher of IT and preparing elementary students for participating in a national ...
![Using the LEGO WeDo kits with scratch – Damien Kee]()
Using the LEGO WeDo kits with scratch – Damien Kee
May 22, 2015I recently ran some workshops for Grade 3 students with the LEGO WeDo kits. 150 students over 3 days, in 2.5hr sessions at a time. This particular school had a very extensive XO laptop prog...
![VEX IQ with “Modkit for VEX” Teacher Resource – Damien Kee]()
VEX IQ with “Modkit for VEX” Teacher Resource – Damien Kee
May 12, 2015It’s been a long time in the making but I’m finally proud to announce that my next book in the ‘Classroom Activities’ series is now available!. This book utilises the new VEX IQ robot kit f...
![Modifying activities to suit Special Needs students – Damien Kee]()
Modifying activities to suit Special Needs students – Damien Kee
Apr 29, 2015I work with a lot of students throughout the year and it is not uncommon to have a student in a wheelchair in my workshops from time to time. While the vast majority of my activities take pl...
EV3 Teacher Resource book now available in Spanish – Damien Kee
Mar 20, 2015Well, to be honest it’s been available for a little while now, but I’ve finally got my copy. I don’t understand a word of it, but it looks fantastic!!! Classroom Activities for the Busy Teac...
WeDo Teacher Resource book, now free! – Damien Kee
Mar 16, 2015LEGO no longer produces the Animal set that this book our WeDo Teacher resource book was written for. The programming section is still very relevant for anyone using the WeDo kit, but unles...
![miniVEX – VEX-IQ Classroom robot design – Damien Kee]()
miniVEX – VEX-IQ Classroom robot design – Damien Kee
Jan 20, 2015Most people know that I’m a big fan of simple robots in the classroom. While the more elaborate ones look great, I’m all for having a design that is quick to build with as few parts as possi...
Carol of the Bells – Damien Kee
Dec 29, 2014I know it’s late, but the end of the year just got a little too busy for me. Here is my LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 version of ‘Carol of the Bells’. I found a version of the song in 3 parts and ass...
International Robotics Academy Workshop – Amman, Jordan – Damien Kee
Dec 11, 2014One of the organisations I work very closely with is the International Robotics Academy based in Amman, Jordan. Over the last year I’ve been advising them on their workshop content and diffe...
![RileyRover / Domabot Global Map – Damien Kee]()
RileyRover / Domabot Global Map – Damien Kee
Oct 28, 2014I’ve finally gotten around to updating my global map of people using my robot design (both the RileyRover and the Domabot). I love to hear from people around the world and the stories of how...
LEGO EV3 vs VEX IQ – Damien Kee
Oct 16, 2014I get asked all the time, “which is the better system?”, so I thought I would put together my thoughts. Disclaimer I am very lucky to have had both LEGO and VEX send me complimentary kits. I...
![EV3 Musical Sequencer – Damien Kee]()
EV3 Musical Sequencer – Damien Kee
Oct 13, 2014I was recently asked to update my popular NXT sequencer for an EV3 version, so here it is! The build is pretty simple and can be made by either the Home (31313) or Education (45544) versions...
![QSITE – Quick Journal article – Damien Kee]()
QSITE – Quick Journal article – Damien Kee
Oct 9, 2014I’ve been a long time member of QSITE (Queensland Society of Information Technology in Education) but this is the first time I’ve ever submitted anything to the quarterly Journal. It’s nice ...
![Using Variables in EV3, where to start? – Damien Kee]()
Using Variables in EV3, where to start? – Damien Kee
Sep 30, 2014I’m often asked what ‘variables’ are and how are they useful? How would I go about teaching them in class? Well the question was raised again this week on our Robotics in Education Mailing l...
![Latest BrickJournal Article – Damien Kee]()
Latest BrickJournal Article – Damien Kee
Aug 28, 2014I’ve just received my copy of BrickJournal #30, with my latest EV3 article! ...
M.E. Program Video series – Damien Kee
Jun 24, 2014Video ...
![BrickJournal Article – Damien Kee]()
BrickJournal Article – Damien Kee
Jun 6, 2014My article has finally been published in BrickJournal! 🙂 It’s a very basic introduction to EV3 programming, looking at just making the robot drive forward. Big thanks to Joe Meno who took my...
![VEX World Championships – Damien Kee]()
VEX World Championships – Damien Kee
May 21, 2014I was recently extremely fortunate to be a guest of VEX Robotics at their annual World Robotics Championships in Anaheim, California. It’s a educational robotics competition along the lines ...
![VEX World Championships – Damien Kee]()
VEX World Championships – Damien Kee
May 21, 2014Video ...
![miniVEX Robot design – Damien Kee]()
miniVEX Robot design – Damien Kee
Apr 15, 2014This robot has been designed for the VEX-IQ robotics kit. It can be made from parts from a single VEX-IQ Starter Kit ( http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/products/starter-kit-with-sensors.html...
![VEX-IQ – Damien Kee]()
VEX-IQ – Damien Kee
Apr 15, 2014I was extremely fortunate to be sent a kit of the new VEX-IQ robot from VEX robotics ( http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq ) As always, the first thing I do with these kits is to figure out the...
![EV3 Book, now available in French! – Damien Kee]()
EV3 Book, now available in French! – Damien Kee
Mar 11, 2014Thanks to the great help from Nigel Ward ( http://www.mind-storms.com/ ) we now have a French Translation of the popular “Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher: EV3”. It is available as ...
![Using Arrays with EV3-G – Damien Kee]()
Using Arrays with EV3-G – Damien Kee
Jan 17, 2014At a recent conference I ran an advanced EV3 workshop where one activity concentrated specifically on the use of arrays. Arrays are a new edition the MINDSTORMS software that the previous N...
![Invited Keynote – 2nd Arab Conference on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence – Damien Kee]()
Invited Keynote – 2nd Arab Conference on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence – Damien Kee
Jan 3, 2014Video ...
All books now available in pdf – Damien Kee
Nov 6, 2013Video ...
![EV3 Education vs EV3 Home software – Damien Kee]()
EV3 Education vs EV3 Home software – Damien Kee
Oct 2, 2013While there has been a lot of discussion and questions around the differences between the Home and Education versions of the EV3, there hasn’t been a lot about the differences in the softwar...
![Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher-> EV3 now available – Damien Kee]()
Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher-> EV3 now available – Damien Kee
Aug 15, 2013My new book Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher: EV3 is now available! I’m offering it in two formats, full colour hardcopy from Amazon, or for the first time ever, as a pdf eBook that...
![RileyRover – EV3 Classroom robot design – Damien Kee]()
RileyRover – EV3 Classroom robot design – Damien Kee
Aug 2, 2013Did you find this build useful? Consider donating to help keep this site running! This is my simple EV3 robot design. It is very quick to build, uses very few pieces and has interchangeable ...
![CAD model for my new EV3 classroom robot – Damien Kee]()
CAD model for my new EV3 classroom robot – Damien Kee
Jul 9, 2013It has taken me quite a while and lots of fiddling, but I’m finally happy with the build instructions for my new EV3 classroom robot. I’ve got a draft PDF out to a few teachers for them to c...
What School holidays? – Damien Kee
Jul 7, 2013Normally my school holidays are pretty laid back, a chance to catch-up on all the admin work that gets neglected during the Term. I was also really looking forward to some uninterrupted time...
![First Look at the new EV3 software – Damien Kee]()
First Look at the new EV3 software – Damien Kee
Jun 20, 2013After being able to see the EV3 hardware for the last few months, it’s really exciting to be able to now show off the new software. This is just a taster, and I’ll get into more detail in fu...
The Basics of using the HiTechnic IRSeeker – Damien Kee
Jun 5, 2013I recently ran a Hangout session with a group of girls on the other side of the world. They were having some issues getting their IRSeeker to accurately track an IR Soccer ball and just need...
![Robotics through the eyes of Grade 4’s – Damien Kee]()
Robotics through the eyes of Grade 4’s – Damien Kee
May 28, 2013It’s these things that are one of the reasons I love what I do. I recently ran a workshop for grade 4’s, squeezing 4 sessions of 26 students, each with only 90 minutes, with as much robotics...
Fantastic writeup of my recent homeschooler workshop – Damien Kee
Apr 29, 2013Video ...
My BeeBots have a new home! – Damien Kee
Apr 8, 2013I was sick of my BeeBots rattling around in one of my bags, and the only ‘official’ storage I could find held only 6 BeeBots. A quick trip to the local foam shop and I got a few pieces custo...
Improvement to my NXT Music maker design – Damien Kee
Mar 28, 2013I love it when people take my ideas, and improve on them. Adriano took the initial designs I had in Making Music with the NXT and improved on them. His design actively pulls up on the lever...
LEGO EV3 Training in Sydney – Damien Kee
Mar 25, 2013I was very fortunate to help out at the recent Sydney EV3 training. We had the LEGO distributors plus a few top teachers from Australia in a 2-day hands on ‘play’ session. We were able to gi...
![Reversing light and beeper for a NXT Robot – Damien Kee]()
Reversing light and beeper for a NXT Robot – Damien Kee
Mar 15, 2013Geraldine on the Mailing list shared a fantastic simple little activity she did with her students. Just a very simple idea that is working well for me in my workshops, I am sorry if you hav...
![Books now available at Amazon Europe websites – Damien Kee]()
Books now available at Amazon Europe websites – Damien Kee
Mar 8, 2013I’m a bit late to the game, but now my books have been listed on Amazon Europe websites such as Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, and Amazon.es. It will probably mean cheaper s...
![NXT – Stopping at the end of a line – Damien Kee]()
NXT – Stopping at the end of a line – Damien Kee
Mar 4, 2013In a Teacher workshop this week we were looking at ways of following a line. In these workshops I stick with a simple ‘wiggle’ algorithm just using a Switch statement and some Move Blocks. T...
![NXT On-Brick Programming worksheet – Damien Kee]()
NXT On-Brick Programming worksheet – Damien Kee
Feb 25, 2013John Middendorf and John Burfoot tossed around a few ideas on the mailing list about how best to utilise the on-board programming of the NXT in the classroom. John M put together this simple...
NXT-NXT Bluetooth Tutorial – Damien Kee
Feb 22, 2013A common request I get from Teachers is how to use Bluetooth. So common in fact, that I thought it a good idea to make a few video’s outlining how I go about it. I’ve broken it down into 3 ...
![Google Sheets and make-your-own Crosswords – Damien Kee]()
Google Sheets and make-your-own Crosswords – Damien Kee
Feb 18, 2013This is an activity I’ve run with Students and Teachers on quite a few occasions with great success. I thought it was finally time to document it and create a template in case other might fi...
How do you store your LEGO? – Damien Kee
Feb 15, 2013Video ...
My Article in German ->) – Damien Kee
Jan 24, 2013I was contacted by the IAIS Fraunhofer Institute in Germany asking if they could translate my article into German as they felt many German teachers would benefit from it 🙂 http://roberta-hom...
![EV3 vs NXT (The Educators Dilemma) – Damien Kee]()
EV3 vs NXT (The Educators Dilemma) – Damien Kee
Jan 9, 2013With the release of the new EV3 Mindstorms system (more info) , I’ve had a few emails from teachers asking me what they should do; Stick with the NXT or go with the EV3? I’ve been very luck...
DomaBot Global Map Update – 15 Countries! – Damien Kee
Oct 22, 2012Video ...
RoboCup Junior Australia 2012 Championships – Damien Kee
Oct 2, 2012On September 22/23, we held the Australian Championships for RoboCUp Junior. This year we saw over 140 teams and over 400 kids from all over Australia come to Canberra to show off their cre...
![My robot design being used in Ghana! ->) – Damien Kee]()
My robot design being used in Ghana! ->) – Damien Kee
Sep 13, 2012Thanks www.robotsquare.com for send this through to me. As part of a RISE project (Robotics Inspired Science Education), close to 400 students from 10 regions of Ghana were able to take part...
QSITE PD Session – Damien Kee
Aug 4, 2012I was up in Townsville last weekend to run some Professional Development sessions for QSITE (Queensland Society of Information Technology Educators). Three sessions in total, each around 3h...
Greenscreen Tutorial – Damien Kee
Jul 26, 2012I have finally gotten around to writing all this up. Teachers keep hounding me for it, so here it is! 🙂 https://www.damienkee.com/greenscreens/ This is how I go about doing my Greenscreen wo...
Apologies for lack of posts – Damien Kee
Jul 13, 2012“Sorry :(“ by gwaar Attribution License I’m sorry, I know it has been a while since my last post. Life has been hectic, with RoboCup Junior, Australia ‘s move to the new National Curriculum...
Making Music with the NXT – Damien Kee
Jan 19, 2012Big thanks to Marvin for sending these videos through of his students. They used my book – “Making Music with the NXT” as inspiration for creating their own musical instruments! ...
![DomaBot Global Map – Damien Kee]()
DomaBot Global Map – Damien Kee
Jan 16, 2012Video ...
![How do you store your LEGO? – Damien Kee]()
How do you store your LEGO? – Damien Kee
Jan 11, 2012Back in 2009 I collated a bunch of different ideas from teachers and educators on the LEGOengineering mailing list on how they store their LEGO in class. It was originally turned into a pdf ...
![All books now available from Amazon! – Damien Kee]()
All books now available from Amazon! – Damien Kee
Nov 23, 2011It’s taken a little while, but I now have all my LEGO Robotics teacher resource books available from Amazon. In the process, I’ve been able to convert them all to full colour, something man...
Dexter Industries – Thermal Infrared Temperature Sensor – Damien Kee
Nov 7, 2011I’ve been very lucky to have been sent one of Dexter Industries new Thermal Infrared Temperature Sensor . Whilst Xander over at BotBench has done a more indepth review ( here ), he was using...
Timing System using the NXT – Damien Kee
Nov 2, 2011A conversation we’re having at the moment on the Teacher Mailing List is around the creation of a Timer. Ian Chow-Miller has been running an activity with NXT dragsters with a focus on gear ...
Simple Math activity using Robotics – Damien Kee
Oct 21, 2011This last Monday was spent all day working with Math teachers, showing them how to use robotics in the classroom, specifically aimed at math activities (as opposed to ‘robot’ activities). We...
Revisiting the Robot Wave activity – Damien Kee
Oct 15, 2011One of my (and the students) favourite activity is the Robot wave. Basically it consists of all robots driving forwards, backwards, forwards, but when done in time looks like a the human wa...
Aviary – composing music – Damien Kee
Oct 14, 2011I’m always on the look out for royalty free music to put in the background of stop-motion movies and youtube clips and came across Aviary. It’s a fantastic browser based sequencer with lots ...
The week that was – Damien Kee
Oct 14, 2011Not much to talk about this week. I ran my usual SCRATCH workshops for teachers as well as the Beginner and Intermediate Robotics workshop for teachers. I was surprised however to have some ...
NXT Building Instructions – Damien Kee
Oct 9, 2011Over at www.theNXTstep.com we’ve been putting together a list of great robot designs that also have Building Instructions. While the’re not all going to be fantastic in a classroom situatio...
RoboCup Junior – Australian Championships – Damien Kee
Sep 26, 2011Over the weekend I had the great privillage to be a part of the 2011 RoboCup Junior, Australian Championships. Each year we hold the National competition in a different part of Australia, a...
Sneaky Kids ->) – Damien Kee
Sep 16, 2011One of my standard activities I run when I go to schools is ‘Rescue Penelope the Polar Bear’. We set a scenario where an earthquake has occurred at the zoo, buildings have fallen down (black...
The week that was – Scratch – Damien Kee
Aug 26, 2011Another travelling week for me this week. Headed up north on Monday, for workshops Tue/Wed/Thu and then back late Thursday night. This time, rather than the usual Robotics workshops, we were...
![Domabot – Classroom Robot Design – Damien Kee]()
Domabot – Classroom Robot Design – Damien Kee
Aug 20, 2011This is a great robot to use in class. It is quick to build, and plenty of places to add attachments. You can download the complete colour pdf (including additional attachments) – Here Have...
New Blog layout – Damien Kee
Aug 19, 2011Yes I know it’s been through a few iterations, but I’m now happy with the system I’ve got. I’ll be update far more often, with more emphasis on Technology in the classroom. ...
BeeBot Activities – Damien Kee
Aug 14, 2011This was my first time using BeeBots with kids (as opposed to teachers) and with 22 kids, it was pretty noisy/chaotic/fun/exciting. Make your robot drive out, turn around and come back First...
The week that was – Central QLD – Damien Kee
Aug 12, 2011Something a little different for me this week. The QLD government recognizes the difficulty remote school encounter, providing the activities that are readily available to their city schools...
![NXT Crane Hybrid – Damien Kee]()
NXT Crane Hybrid – Damien Kee
Jan 4, 2011Here is my version of a NXT-Crane Hybrid. Using the LEGO NXT Mindstorms system and the #8292 cherry picker. Click the link for lots more photos and information Mechanical Adjustments The fi...
![How to build a hexapod robot – Damien Kee]()
How to build a hexapod robot – Damien Kee
Nov 17, 2010This was a video I put together to show how a simple leg mechanism can be built with LEGO parts. Six of these legs combined then give a very basic hexapod robot. In the video, I have 1 moto...
Sequencer Version 1 and 2 – Damien Kee
Aug 29, 2010Version 2 This is the follow up to version 1. It can be made out of a single NXT2.0 kit. The motor spins the device around and the colour sensor is constantly taking readings. Each colour i...
![PhD Thesis Robot – Damien Kee]()
PhD Thesis Robot – Damien Kee
Aug 28, 2010The robot I worked on for my PhD. We were looking at modelling the human cerebellum in order to ‘teach’ the robot how to walk. ...
![Sideshow Alley Clown Game – Damien Kee]()
Sideshow Alley Clown Game – Damien Kee
Oct 14, 2009This sideshow alley clown game was built with just the parts from the NXT2.0 Kit. No sensor and just 1 motors, but a fun game none-the-less. The clown is a little scary, but the best I coul...
![NXT Puppy Dog – Damien Kee]()
NXT Puppy Dog – Damien Kee
Aug 9, 2008This robot design was inspired by the amazing creations of Theo Jansen. The leg design is based on a six bar linkage which I best found explained at http://www.mechanicalspider.com/ ...
![Card Dealing Robot – Damien Kee]()
Card Dealing Robot – Damien Kee
Jun 24, 2008A robot that deals cards for poker. This robot deals from the bottom of the pack using an NXT wheel to draw out a card. A second NXT wheel spinning 5 times quicker then ‘spits’ out the card...
![Clap Back Robot – Damien Kee]()
Clap Back Robot – Damien Kee
Jun 23, 2008This robot samples any loud sounds and keeps track of the time between each. It then plays back the rhythm by tapping on a plastic container. The code is written in NXC and is a good exampl...
