Brush Bot Painting!

Brush Bot painting is an easy introduction to robotics project for kids ages 8 and up! These Brush Bot kits make for a fun learning project and can be built in an afternoon. Once the robots are built, you can race them and experiment to see how you can make them speed up, slow down, or change directions. You can even paint with them!

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brushbotpainting1a

To make brush bot paintings for your own, you will need:

We purchased two brush bots kits from Amazon for this activity, since each kid could have their own kit to build. The kits are recommended for ages 8 and up. My 11 year old was able to build hers within about 10 or 15 minutes, and then she helped my 7 year old to build hers. The second brush bot kit was put together much more quickly since she already knew all the steps from building the first one. My kids both love building things, so this activity was a HUGE hit with them! Once the bots were built, we set up our painting supplies outdoors.

Tip — This painting project is very messy, so I highly recommend this as an outdoor project. However, it could also be done in a garage or basement using a shower curtain liner or large drop cloth underneath. Check the soles of shoes for any wet paint before tracking it into the house.

For this project, we use three large canvas boards set up side by side to form one large piece of artwork. Add some tempera paint directly to the boards. Next, add the brush bots on top and switch them on to watch them paint!

Here is a quick video of our brush bot painting — in action!

Variations to Try:

Try adjusting the paintbrush in the back to change the angle of the bots. This will make them speed them up, or slow them down. If the brush bots lean forward, they will go forward. If they lean back, they will go backwards. The steeper the angle, the faster they will go! You can also turn the back brush to the left or right to have them spin in circles.

Instead of adding paint directly to the board, try dipping the brush in paint first, and then letting it go along the canvas board.

My 7 year old would like to bring in her finished “robot-assisted artwork” for her next show and tell session at school. I love that my kids enjoy building things and this project was a fun way to encourage building, painting, and creative problem solving! Great messy art fun!

More Robotic Fun to Explore:

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Comments

  1. Wow! Who came up with these ridiculously cool brush bots? It’s like engineering and science mixed with art. I hope you guys saved that beautiful piece of robotic art! haha

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