Thames & Kosmos Vibrobot User manual

Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. -,  Stuttgart, Germany | + ()  - | www.kosmos.de
Thames & Kosmos,  Friendship St., Providence, RI, , USA | --- | www.thamesandkosmos.com
Thames & Kosmos UK, Old Oxted, Surrey, UK | - | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk
EXPERIMENT MANUAL

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1st Edition 2013
© Genius Toy Taiwan Co., Ltd., Taichung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
1st German Edition © 2013 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH  Co. KG
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Manual photos: askaja (all paper clips); Jamie Duplass (all tape strips); picsfive (all push pins);
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› › › SAFETY INFORMATION
Safety Information
When handling the vibrating motor, hold it securely so
that it doesn’t shake itself out of your hands! It’s best to
turn it off whenever you are handling it. Don’t hold the
switched-on vibrating motor for long periods of time.
Regarding the underside of vibrating motor: Do not bring
hair or fingers in contact with the rotating shaft.
NOTE! Not suitable for use by children under  years of
age. There is a risk of choking if small parts are swallowed
or inhaled. Store the experiment material, particularly the
battery-powered vibrating motor, and assembled models
out of the reach of small children.
NOTE! Only for use by children  years and older.
Instructions are included for parents or other supervising
adults. Please follow them! Save the packaging and
instructions. They contain important information.
Safety for Experiments with
Batteries
››› Never experiment with wall outlets or the household power
supply. Never insert wires or other parts into wall outlets!
Household voltage can be deadly.
››› For operation, you will need three AAA baeries (.-volt,
type AAA/LR) or three AAA rechargeable baeries (.-volt,
min.  mAh), which are not included in the kit due to their
limited shelf life.
››› The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited. A short-
circuit could lead to overheating of circuits and baery
explosions.
››› Different types of baeries or new and used baeries are not
to be mixed.
››› Do not mix old and new baeries.
››› Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc), or rechargeable
(nickel-cadmium) baeries.
››› Only install baeries in the correct polarity direction. Press
them gently into the baery compartment.
››› Always close baery compartments with the lid.
››› Never recharge non-rechargeable baeries. They could
explode!
››› Rechargeable baeries are only to be charged under adult
supervision.
››› Rechargeable baeries are to be removed from the toy before
being charged.
››› Exhausted baeries are to be removed from the toy.
››› Dispose of used baeries in accordance with environmental
provisions.
››› Make absolutely sure that metallic objects such as coins or
key chains are not left in contact with baery terminals.
››› Do not bend, warp, or otherwise deform baeries.
With all of the experiments that use baeries, have an adult
check the experiment or model before use to make sure you have
assembled it properly.
After you are done experimenting, remove the baeries from the
baery compartments. Note the safety information
accompanying the individual experiments!
Notes on disposal of
electrical and electronic
components
The electronic components of this product are recyclable. For the
sake of the environment, do not throw them into the household
trash at the end of their lifespan. They must be delivered to a
collection location for electronic waste, as indicated by the
following symbol:
Please contact your local authorities for the appropriate
disposal location.
Dear Parents!
Before starting the experiments, read through the
instruction manual together with your child and discuss
the safety information. Check to make sure the models
have been assembled correctly, and assist your child with
the experiments.
We hope you and your child have a lot of fun with the
experiments!

Are you strong
enough for the
vibrating motor?
YOU WILL NEED
› Vibrating motor
› 3 x AAA baeries (1.5-volt, type AAA/LR03) or
3 x AAA rechargeable baeries (1.2-volt, min.
1100 mAh)
HERE’S HOW
1. Find the vibrating motor in the box and
open the cover on the underside. That’s how
you get to the baery compartments.
2. Insert the baeries into the baery
compartments as indicated on the inside.
3. Now place the cover back on.
4. Hold the vibrating motor very firmly and
slide the switch on its underside in one
direction or the other.
5. Next, return the switch to its original
position and slide it in the opposite
direction.
WANT
TO LEARN MORE?
Then come along into
the fascinating world
of vibrating motors…
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Look into the top of the vibrating motor. Do you see how
the lile arm inside starts to turn? It starts slowly, but
gradually moves faster and faster. You don’t just see it,
you can actually feel it — it’s so powerful that you have
to hold the vibrating motor tightly to keep it from geing
away. The vibration is caused by the movement of this
arm, which is equipped with a weight and is mounted a
lile off-center. It’s the rapid out-of-balance rotation
that generates the force you feel.
Are you strong
enough for the
vibrating motor?
An experiment to help you hit
the ground running
Here’s where unexpected forces are generated…
Check it out, and prepare to be surprised!


The anchor pin lever
In the box, you will find a little tool —
the yellow anchor pin lever.
1. End A of the anchor pin lever makes it easy
to remove anchor pins from the frames.
2. End B of the tool is used for removing
batteries from the battery compartments.
10
1
The parts in your kit:
You will also need:
3 x AAA batteries (1.5-volt, type
AAA/LR03) or 3 x AAA
rechargeable batteries (1.2-volt,
min. 1100 mAh), box of opaque
watercolor (gouache) paints,
paintbrush, paper, water, paper
towels, old clothes, clean empty
yogurt container, one or two felt-
tip pens, small rocks in a bag
Checklist: Find – Inspect – Check off
2 3 4 5
6
7
8 9
11 12
13 14
15 16 17 18 20
19
21
12
No. Description Count Item-No.
1Vibrating motor 1714 194
2 Head 1 714 201
3Neck 1714 202
4Wrist 2714 327
5Hand 4714 203
6Rivet 4714 328
7Body 2714 200
8Foot 2714 198
9 Non-slip sole 2 714 199
10 Armor panels 6 714 197
11 Right leg 1 714 196
No. Description Count Item No.
12 Left leg 1 714 195
13 3-hole dual rod 8 714 186
14 5-hole rod 1 714 187
15 5-hole dual rod 4 714 188
16 Curved rod 1714 189
17 Two-to-one converter 2 714 190
18 Hinge 12 714 191
19 Tube, 30 mm 2714 287
20 Anchor pin 22 714 193
21 Anchor pin lever 1 702 590
A
B
› › › KIT CONTENTS

GOOD TO KNOW! If you are missing
any parts, please contact Thames &
Kosmos customer service.
Any materials not included in the kit are
indicated in italic script under the “You
will need” heading.

TIP!
You will find supplemental
information here: “Check It Out”
Pages  and .
Safety information ............................................................ Inside front cover
An experiment to help you hit the ground running .................................. 
Kit contents ....................................................................................................... 
Table of contents.............................................................................................. 
EXPERIMENTS
Vibration Technology ..................................................................................... 
The secret behind this technology is a rapidly-spinning swing arm.
Experiment with the vibrating motor and build cool models to learn
more about this technology.
The models:
Vibrobot ................................................................................................................... 6
Mars rover ............................................................................................................... 9
Vibro-beetle .......................................................................................................... 12
Painting robot ...................................................................................................... 14
Plate compactor .................................................................................................. 17
Exercise machine ................................................................................................ 19
Ice skater ............................................................................................................... 21
Publisher’s information ................................................................Back cover
TIP!
At the top of each model assembly page, you will find a red bar:
›››
It shows how difficult the model’s assembly will be:
easy medium hard
› › › TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vibrobot


Vibration Technology
Vibro – what? In this case, “vibro” is an abbreviation of the word “vibration.”
Your vibrating motor works with vibration technology. It has a swing arm
attached to the shaft of its motor, so the arm rotates as the motor shaft
turns. The fact that the arm is mounted off-balance makes the whole device
vibrate. A lot of things operate with vibration technology: your cell phone,
fitness machines, and paving compactors used in street construction.
CAUTION!
CONSTRUCTION
SITE


What makes your
robot walk?
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled vibrobot
› 3 x AAA baeries or 3 x AAA rechargeable baeries
HERE’S HOW
1. Start by following the assembly instructions for your
vibrobot. You will find the instructions on the following
pages.
2. Remove the vibrobot’s legs and open the cover on the
underside of the vibrating motor. That’s how you reach
the baery compartments.
3. Insert the baeries in the direction indicated in the
compartments. Then replace the cover and reaach the
legs.
4. Remove the soles from the booms of the vibrobot’s
feet. Slide the switch on the underside of the vibrating
motor in one direction or the other.
5. Does the vibrobot start walking right away? What
happens when you slide the switch in the other
direction?
6. Now you can try different experiments. Switch off the
vibrating motor and mount the soles on the vibrobot’s
feet. Start with the grips on the soles tilted to the rear.
7. Switch on the vibrating motor. In what direction does
the robot walk? Turn the soles around. What happens
now?
8. By changing the positions of the two arms, can you get
the robot to walk forward? Try it with one arm straight
up and the other arm straight out in front, for example.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The vibrations from the motor are passed along to the entire robot — all the
way down to his feet. Depending on the direction that the arm swings, the
robot will turn to the right or the left. The direction of the sole’s treads or the
direction in which the arms point will also determine the direction of movement —
forwards, backwards, or in a circle.
DID YOU KNOW ?
Inside your cell phone,
there’s a tiny motor
that is smaller than a
paper clip. It, too,
spins an unbalanced
weight. That’s what
makes the cell
phone vibrate when
set to vibration
mode.
TIP!
Run some more experiments: Turn
just one of the soles around or
change the position of the arms.
EXPERIMENT 1
Vibration Technology

TIP!
Your robot will move
best on a large, smooth
surface.

1x
3
2
1
1 2 3 4 5
6 8 9 10
11
7
13 18
1x
12 20
1x 1x 2x 4x
2x 2x 2x 6x
4x
1x 4x 4x 22x
x
VIBROBOT


Make sure you
insert the anchor
pins attached to the
armor panels into
the correct holes,
and that you insert
them securely, or
they might fall
off from all of the
vibrating action.
6
Done!
4
5
11
12

Vibration Technology

KEYWORD: MARS ROVER
Mars rovers like this one have already
been sent four times to explore the planet
Mars. To develop this kind of rover,
engineers start by using a computer to
create a drawing showing how it should
look. Then, they construct a model. When
the actual rover is finally complete, it
often looks completely different from the
sketch that they started with, because
they constantly change and improve it in
the course of development.
Taking off for Mars
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled Mars rover
› 3 x AAA baeries or 3 x AAA rechargeable baeries
HERE’S HOW
1. Start by assembling your Mars rover. You will find the
instructions on the following pages.
2. Remove the vehicle’s legs and open the cover on the
underside of the vibrating motor.
3. Insert the baeries in the direction indicated in the
compartments. Then replace the cover and reaach
the legs.
4. Slide the switch on the underside of the vibrating motor
in one direction or the other. In which direction does the
rover walk? Again, you can try experimenting with the
direction of the switch and try turning the soles around.
5. The rover’s gripping hand mimics the robotic arms on the
real Martian rovers. Can you manage to place an object
from your room in its hand? Then let the rover carry it
along.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A robot that can drive is called a “rover.” When a
rover is moving across the Martian surface, it is
very important that it be able to pick up things
that are lying on the ground. That’s the only way
that it can study the planet’s rocks.
To do that, rovers have other instruments on
board as well, such as microscopes, drills, and
brushes. Then, with the help of its antennas, it
sends the analysis results back to Earth.
TIP!
Your rover will run best on
a large, smooth surface.
EXPERIMENT 2


1 2
3
1x
1 3 4 5
68 97
13 18 20
1x 1x 2x
1x 2x 2x2x
6x 6x 8x
15
2x
16
1x
B
A
B
MARS ROVER

Vibration Technology

5
Done!
4
x
A

MARS ROVER

Beetling along
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled vibro-beetle
› 3 x AAA baeries or 3 x AAA rechargeable baeries
HERE’S HOW
1. Start by following the assembly instructions for your
vibro-beetle. You will find the instructions on the
following pages.
2. Remove the beetle’s legs and open the cover on the
underside of the vibrating motor. Insert the baeries in
the direction indicated in the compartments. Then
replace the cover and reaach the legs.
3. Slide the switch on the underside of the vibrating motor
in one direction or the other. Bend the legs so that they
are pointed the same way on both sides and so they
touch the ground. Does the beetle start crawling off
right away?
4. Watch how the beetle moves across the ground. Next,
try changing the position of the legs. Bend all three legs
on one side upward. Does the beetle move differently
now?
WHAT’S HAPPENING
If the beetle’s legs are pointed in the same direction on both the right and left sides, the insect’s center of gravity
will lie precisely in the center (in other words, right in the middle of the vibrating motor). If you bend the legs in a
different direction on just one side, the center of gravity shifts to another location. Any object will have a center
of gravity, which is the location where its weight is equal on all sides.
TIP!
Your beetle will
crawl best on a
large, smooth
surface.
KEYWORDS: FORCE AND
LEVER ARM
Picture a see-saw with a person on either
end. If the two people are the same weight
and the pivot point (or fulcrum) is in the
middle, then the see-saw is balanced. If
one person is heavier, he or she must slide
in toward the fulcrum, so the weight
balances out. The force that a load exerts
on a lever is equal to the weight of the load
times its distance from the fulcrum,
otherwise known as the
lever arm.
EXPERIMENT 3

Vibration Technology

Done!
1
6
4
1x
1 97
13 18 20
1x 1x
8x 12x 6x
15
4x
3
x
x
2
5
TIP!
Press down on your beetle
until its non-skid sole is
resting firmly on the ground.

VIBROBEETLE

Here’s where things get
colorful …
YOU WILL NEED
› Box of opaque (gouache) paints
› Brush
› Paper
› Water
› Paper towels
› Old clothes
›Clean, empty yogurt container
HERE’S HOW
1. For this experiment, it would be best to find a place that
can handle a lile abuse, and wear old clothes.
2. Find the color yellow in your box of paints, and use your
brush to paint a yellow circle on the sheet of paper. You
will want to paint the subsequent colors while the
paints are still wet.
3. Wash out the brush and dip it in the blue paint. Paint a
blue circle next to the yellow one, but make sure it
overlaps the yellow one a lile. Look at the color that is
created where the two circles overlap each other.
4. Again, wash the brush out well, take the red color, and
paint a red circle overlapping both the yellow and the
blue one. What new colors do you see in the areas
where the circles overlap?
5. Now, let’s go! Assemble your own painting robot. You
will find the instructions on the following pages.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
You probably know what it’s like when you have to
mix different paint colors because the one you
wanted wasn’t in the paint box. You just did the
same thing here. The basic colors you started with
in this case are called primary colors. Just these
three are enough to mix together all the other
colors of the rainbow.
DID YOU KNOW ?
These primary colors are also used in
printing. The color model used here is
also known as the CMYK model, with
the leer standing for the various
colors, as follows:
C = cyan (bluish-green)
M = magenta (reddish-pink)
Y = yellow
The K stands for “key,” and is used to
refer to the black portion.
Take a look at the pictures below to
see some of the many
ways that colors are
used.
EXPERIMENT 4

Vibration Technology

1
32
1x
1 4 5 6
8 9
7
13 18 20
2x 4x 1x
1x 1x
4x
7x 8x 6x
x

PAINTING ROBOT

4
Done!
5
TIP!
Your robot will
operate best on a
smooth surface that
can take a lile
abuse.
TIP!
Insert the baeries in the robot
and switch it on. Then set the
robot on a large sheet of paper
and place one or two colored
pencils or felt-tip pens in his
hand. You will soon have lots of
fun abstract images.

Vibration Technology

KEYWORD:
ROADWORK IN PROGRESS
Caution, construction zone! You have
probably seen plate compactors in use by
street construction crews in the process of
laying paving stones or building roads.
Plate compactors briefly rise off the
ground and then come crashing down
again, compressing the earth or tar
beneath them or making the paving
stones stay firmly in place. Sometimes,
the workers will first hammer the stones
into position by hand.
How does a plate
compactor work?
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled plate compactor
› 3 x AAA baeries or 3 x AAA rechargeable baeries
› Different surfaces (hard and soft)
HERE’S HOW
1. Start by following the assembly instructions for your
plate compactor. You will find the instructions on the
following pages.
2. Open the cover on the vibrating motor. That’s how you
get to the baery compartments.
3. Insert the baeries into their compartments as
indicated. Then replace the cover.
4. Push the vibrating motor switch in one direction or the
other.
5. Set the plate compactor on a hard surface, such as a
tabletop, while holding tight to the handle. What
happens to the plate compactor?
6. Now try testing the plate compactor on a soft surface.
Try the maress on your bed, for example. How does the
plate compactor behave now?
WHAT’S HAPPENING
If you let the plate compactor do its work on a
hard surface, it really jumps up and down. The
ground offers firm resistance, which throws back
the force of the compactor. If, on the other hand,
the surface is soft, it absorbs the force of the
blows and gives way. So the plate compactor
works best on a hard surface.
EXPERIMENT 5


1 2 3
4
Done!
TIP!
Do not use the plate
compactor outside,
because sand or dirt could
get into the vibrating
motor and impair its
function.
1x
113
18 20
3x
2x 4x
15
2x
19
2x
x

PLATE COMPACTOR
Vibration Technology

KEYWORD: VIBRATION TRAINER
Can you really get into shape just by shaking? Of course! A lot of exercise
gyms have vibration trainers. Simply get on, hold tight, and off you go! You
can select how much you want the
machine to vibrate, based on your
weight and training goals. The
vibrations are conveyed to the
muscles in your body and work to
strengthen them. That’s how you
can turn a vibrating motor into an
exercise machine.
What do shaking and
exercise have in common?
YOU WILL NEED
› The assembled exercise machine
› A few anchor pins and whatever bars you like
› 3 x AAA baeries or 3 x AAA rechargeable baeries
› A few small stones in a bag
HERE’S HOW
1. Build your own exercise machine! You will find the
instructions on the following page.
2. Open the cover on the vibrating motor. That’s how you
get to the baery compartments.
3. Insert the baeries as indicated inside the
compartments and replace the cover.
4. Stick the bars together however you like, mount them
on the vibrating motor, and switch on the vibrating
motor. What happens to the bars?
5. Now place the bag with the pebbles on the motor. What
happens to it?
WHAT’S HAPPENING
In this experiment, you will clearly see how the
vibrations move upward from the motor and
become transferred to whatever objects are on
top of it. The heavier the objects, the less they
vibrate. Just be careful not to let them fall off the
motor platform.
EXPERIMENT 6
TIP!
Your exercise
machine will work
best on a large,
smooth surface.
