Four high-school students. One humanoid. Eight weeks from a box of parts to its first step.
Math, physics, and coding usually arrive as separate classes. Each makes sense on its own, but they rarely add up to something a student cares about.
So we build a robot instead, and let each subject show up when the robot needs it. Geometry is how a knee bends. Circuits are why a joint won’t move. Code is how it stands up.
Cohort students in the Menlo Park lab. Faces blurred for privacy.
Each layer is a different field of engineering. Scroll to watch them stack up.
Assemble a humanoid from 3D-printed parts and servo motors, one limb at a time.
LearnsMechanical engineering, reading assembly drawings, degrees of freedom.
Wire the power, onboard computer, and sensors, and check every connection before the first power-on.
LearnsCircuits, power, sensors, electrical safety.
Calibrate every joint, then write the first program, and explain why the joint doesn’t land exactly where it was told.
LearnsLinux, Python, logging, the gap between a command and reality.
Rebuild the robot in the MuJoCo physics simulator and compare the same motion in both worlds.
LearnsPhysics simulation, open- vs. closed-loop control, keyframe motion.
Watch a policy train in simulation, change one reward, and see how the robot behaves differently.
LearnsReinforcement learning: policies, rewards, observations, actions.
Four students share one robot, rotate roles, and present it together at the final showcase.
LearnsCollaboration, engineering notebooks, presenting to an audience.
Open to students in grades 9–12. No robotics experience needed, and parents can apply on a student’s behalf.