Full STEAM Ahead 2023

How might we reduce the amount of litter around our school? Our project is a bin that will encourage students to throw their rubbish away by playing a fun game. Using the micro:bit’s tilt sensor to sense when the bin lid is opened, the micro:bit attached to the lid plays a song with the word ‘SHOOT!’ scrolling across the LEDs. If users throw the rubbish in the bin, they press either the ‘SCORE’ or ‘MISS’ buttons which activate either a happy face or sad face on the micro:bit on the front of the bin.

How might we preserve our environment even better? This prototype makes a simple task fun: every time the micro:bit under the bin lid faces up it’ll add 1 point and when the points get up to 50, it will send a signal to the office that the rubbish needs to be emptied.

How might we improve the library to give people the best experience? Our project is a book wardrobe that supplies a book for your enjoyment. Press the button to activate a motor which opens the door.

How might we reduce the amount of littering happening around our school ground? We programmed two micro:bits so they can transmit to each other. Once micro:bit #1 tilts over five times on the flap inside the bin, it will send a message to micro:bit #2 and it will flash with the message and play music which tells us to change the bin.

How might we help children focus in class? Our project is a remote and a speaker. The teacher presses the blue button which sends a signal to the speaker and it plays music. This reminds the children to focus and lower their volume.

How might we fix the pollution problem in our school and community? This is a rubbish bin which makes throwing your garbage in the bin more fun! The motor rotates to lift the scoop and place the rubbish in the bin.

How might we make our town more fun? A symbol shows up on the screen and when the user makes the corresponding action, their score increases. After a few rounds, the time between each symbol and the time to make the action decreases. If you don’t make the action in time, you lose.

How might we beat boredom on long road trips? Players press the buttons which move the LED on the microb:bit either left or right. Once the LED reaches the edge of either side, that player wins and a winning message scrolls across the micro:bit LEDs.

How might we make canteen ordering more efficient? Our team was annoyed of how canteen lines take up too much time. Canteen Ken is a canteen ordering system which if you press the button it displays your order number, so then you don’t have to line up. Instead you can roam around and wait for the canteen to call out your order number.

How might we reduce the rubbish in the classroom? We invented the Picker-Upper as a solution for all classrooms. A teacher presses the button which sends a signal to make lights flash and an annoying sound play. Students need to pick up the rubbish for the teacher to turn it off.

Tap the Start button to place your rubbish in the bin and the motor lifts the flap. Press the Stop button to close the bin.

How might we solve the trolley return problem? Click the button when you are done and if the trolley senses it is not in the correct place it will beep.

How might we prevent littering in our school? When one of the house buttons is pushed the motor rotates to lift the lid of the bin and the house that was selected will gain a point. The house with the most points wins an excursion.

How might we improve learning without making it boring, but entertaining? The micro:bit displays true and false questions and students answer them by pressing the arcade buttons. After every question their score is shown, and the goal is to get as many answers correct as possible.

How might we improve locks and prevent break-ins? The micro:bit attached to the lock receives a message when the button controls are pressed. The motor then rotates, locking or unlocking the Mimi Lock.

How might we improve bathroom doors and locks? The device is positioned on the inside of the door. When the buttons are pressed the motor opens or locks the door.

How might we make the basketball courts a more inclusive area for the people who want to play netball? The netball players don’t get the chance to play at recess and lunch. Our project is a rotating basketball and netball hoop, which allows us to change the court. A button can be operated to rotate the motor under the hoop giving students equal share of the courts so everyone can enjoy and play sports.

How might we encourage more recycling? We wanted to make a gadget that rewards someone whenever they put a recycling item in the bin. When a bottle is inserted, a micro:bit attached to the flap detects when it is tilted, and the dispenser will then release a lollipop for the user.

How might we teach young children to put rubbish in the bin? We have gamified the process by adding interactive features. When a button is pushed it uses a motor to open and close the bin and sends a signal to display lighting.

How might we indicate how many people are in a change room at one time to maximise efficiency? When the user presses the button, it activates the motor to open the door. When the door closes the LED turns red to indicate it is in use. When the door is opened again, the LED changes back to green to indicate the change room is available.

How might we solve the rubbish problem at Kingswood High School?’ This device allows the user to press a button which sends a signal to the motor and opens the bin flap allowing them to insert their rubbish and receive a token.

How might we encourage students to put their rubbish in the bin? We designed a system that gives you tokens when you put your rubbish in the bin. The tokens can be exchanged for prizes or an excursion. The micro:bit is coded so that when the rubbish flaps are tilted the motor rotates so it can give you tokens.

How might we make young children safer? The person who is in danger will press button A or B on their necklace, which will send a signal to the micro:bit in the other person's necklace to alert them. Using the onboard buttons and LEDs, the project creates a system to communicate between two users without phones.

How might we prevent bullying? Our group created an alarm system which includes an arcade button and two micro:bits. Our device works by clicking the arcade button which sends a signal to the receiver. The button is the input to activate the transmitter. The message gives the person a warning by flashing lights and playing a beep sound.

How might we encourage young people to use fitness facilities to improve their health? Our group created a complex system for a prototype in a gym. This gym has a card tapping system, which in this case is the button. When the card is tapped, it automatically opens the door using the servo motor. Users accrue points with each entry, encouraging them to use the facilities and improve their health.

How might we prevent students from putting gum under classroom desks? Using the light sensor on the micro:bit, this prototype senses when gum is placed under the table and then sends an alert to the teacher, in the form of lights and music, allowing them to maintain a clean learning environment.

How might we manage the litter in our school’s environment? By pressing the button the motor will rotate to open the flap and the litter will be swept into the box.

How might we entertain children without modern devices? We have recreated the Google dino game, using the micro:bit buttons and LEDs. You press the up and down buttons to dodge the blocks.

How might we encourage people to keep the planet cleaner? This project encourages people to recycle and sort their rubbish by making it an interactive experience and making it in the image of a well-loved character. The bin features a motor for hands-free lid opening and two compartments to separate the rubbish.

How might we secure doors more efficiently? Using a button and a motor connected to the micro:bit the user can secure their door by the click of a button.

How might we warn drivers when they are driving too fast? Using the accelerometer sensor on the micro:bit, this prototype senses when people drive too fast. The device is attached to the car and when it senses the increase in acceleration above a set amount, it triggers a flashing light and a sign to pop up to warn the driver.

How might we reduce peer pressure at school? This project presents questions around peer pressure that scroll across the LEDs on the micro:bit. The two buttons are ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers. Depending on your answer you will get an icon showing on the micro:bit to indicate if you are correct or incorrect.

How might we lighten up the quad area, while still providing sun protection? This prototype shows how motorised roof panels and UV-protective transparent materials could lighten up the dark quads. The project uses the micro:bit light sensor to control the roof panels. If the day is dark, the roof panels will open, allowing more light to enter through.

How might we make canteens more efficient and reduce lines? Simply press the button to choose between the options. A message will be sent to the receiver micro:bit. Your food will be prepared and sent to you.