Find out how you learn. Get a stack built for it.

The curriculum

Seven modules. Your quiz result shows which ones to take, shorten, or skip. Your robot records live in the Robot Information Registry, so your progress is something other makers can read.

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1. 1

   Read schematics, wire it, debug with a meter

   Beginner

   Read a schematic like a map, wire it on a breadboard, and use a multimeter to find out why a circuit stays dead.

   You will build

   A battery-powered motor and LED circuit, plus a fault-finding checklist you test on it.

   You have got it when

   You can point at a dead circuit and say which wire or part is the culprit.

   Skills checklist

   • Name the common schematic symbols
   • Wire a circuit from a schematic
   • Measure voltage, current, and continuity with a meter
   • Find a planted fault by testing, one step at a time
   • Write down your fault-finding steps
2. 2

   Program microcontrollers for motors and sensors in real time

   Intermediate

   Write firmware that reads sensors and drives motors on a fixed schedule, so the robot reacts when things happen.

   You will build

   A small rover that follows a line and stops for an obstacle, with loop timing you can measure.

   You have got it when

   Your rover reacts in the same fraction of a second every time you run it.

   Skills checklist

   • Read a sensor on a fixed schedule
   • Drive a motor from code
   • Handle an input without freezing the loop
   • Measure how long one loop takes
   • Stop safely when a sensor trips
3. 3

   Design and make mechanical parts

   Beginner

   Sketch a part, model it, make it by printing or cutting, then fix what the first version got wrong.

   You will build

   A motor mount and a gripper finger, each revised once after a real test.

   You have got it when

   A part you designed holds a motor in place and survives a day on the bench.

   Skills checklist

   • Sketch a part with real dimensions
   • Model a part on screen
   • Make a part by printing or cutting
   • Revise a part after a test
   • Choose a fastener that fits the job
4. 4

   ROS 2 with simulation

   Intermediate

   Learn nodes, topics, and launch files, then try your ideas in simulation before the robot ever moves.

   You will build

   A simulated robot that drives around a room, then the same nodes running on your bench robot.

   You have got it when

   A change you made in simulation shows up on the real robot.

   Skills checklist

   • Launch a simulated robot
   • Explain nodes and topics in your own words
   • Write a node that publishes a command
   • Write a node that reads a sensor and reacts
   • Run the same node on a real robot
5. 5

   Close control loops and diagnose oscillation

   Advanced

   Close a feedback loop around a motor, tune it, and learn to read the wobble when it goes wrong.

   You will build

   A motor speed controller with a tuned PID loop and a plot that explains each overshoot.

   You have got it when

   You can look at a plot, name why it rings, and fix it in two tries.

   Skills checklist

   • Log and plot a motor signal
   • Close a proportional loop
   • Explain what each term of a PID loop does
   • Spot oscillation on a plot
   • Tune a loop in two tries
6. 6

   Learning from demonstration

   Advanced

   Teach a robot a task by showing it. Record demonstrations, train a small model, and study where it slips.

   You will build

   A gripper or arm that repeats a pick-and-place task after a handful of demonstrations.

   You have got it when

   The robot finishes a task you only showed it, and you know what to record next to improve it.

   Skills checklist

   • Choose a task with a clear finish line
   • Record clean demonstrations
   • Train a small model on them
   • Find where the robot fails
   • Record a fix and retrain
7. 7

   Ship a portfolio

   Beginner

   Turn your modules into pages other makers can follow, with the failures and fixes left in.

   You will build

   Three build pages in the community, each with parts, steps, photos, and a robot record.

   You have got it when

   A stranger can rebuild your project from your page.

   Skills checklist

   • Write a build page with the steps in order
   • List parts with links
   • Add photos that show the work
   • Log a failure and its fix
   • Get one person to follow your page