Explore. Program. Engineer. Build What's Next.

The Robotics Workshop takes students beyond simply controlling robots. Through hands-on challenges involving programming, engineering, electronics, and mechanical design, students discover how robots work, how they make decisions, and how to build increasingly sophisticated robotic systems of their own.

New for spring, the Robotics Workshop now meets every week—and the cost per class is significantly lower than it was in the fall. More frequent classes give students additional time to experiment, troubleshoot, improve their designs, and take on more ambitious challenges. Each semester introduces new projects, allowing students to continue developing their skills without repeating previous work.

Students progress through three levels of robotics, beginning with the programmable Sphero BOLT+, advancing to the mechanical and electronic systems of the mBot, and eventually designing and building original robots using programmable controllers, motors, sensors, and other electronic components. Along the way, they'll learn how software and hardware work together to make robots move, respond to their surroundings, and complete increasingly complex tasks.

New students begin with the fundamentals of robotics and programming, while returning students build on their previous experience through more advanced coding, engineering, and design challenges. Because students work at their own level, beginners and experienced roboticists can learn side-by-side, with opportunities to progress from one platform to the next as their skills develop.

• Program robots using block-based coding and increasingly advanced programming techniques
• Explore robotics using Sphero BOLT+, mBot, and custom-built robotic systems
• Understand how motors, sensors, controllers, and mechanical components work together
• Develop algorithms that allow robots to navigate, detect obstacles, and respond to their environment
• Design, construct, and modify mechanical and electronic systems
• Experiment with autonomous behavior, decision-making, and sensor-based programming
• Test solutions, troubleshoot problems, and improve performance through repeated challenges
• Collaborate on engineering projects, competitions, and original robotic inventions

Every challenge can scale with the student. Beginners develop confidence through guided exploration and programming, while experienced students tackle increasingly complex engineering problems, advanced coding, and independent robotic design. Students can return semester after semester, progressing toward designing and building robots of their own. All robots, electronics, software, and materials are provided.

Spring Projects & Challenges

• Explorer Level — Sphero BOLT+: Learn programming fundamentals through movement, navigation, light displays, sensor experiments, obstacle courses, and increasingly complex autonomous challenges
• Inventor Level — mBot: Explore motors, sensors, mechanical systems, and robot construction while programming robots to follow paths, avoid obstacles, navigate environments, and complete engineering missions
• Innovator Level — Custom Robotics: Move beyond prebuilt robots to design, construct, and program original robotic systems using microcontrollers, motors, sensors, electronic circuits, and mechanical components
• Robot Missions: Apply programming and engineering skills to solve challenges involving navigation, object movement, precision, speed, and autonomous decision-making
• Engineering & Electronics: Investigate how circuits, motors, gears, sensors, and controllers work together, then experiment with modifying and improving robotic systems
• Design Challenges: Work individually and in teams to develop solutions to open-ended problems, test competing approaches, and improve robot performance
• Final Robotics Challenge: Design, program, and demonstrate a robot or robotic solution that applies the skills developed throughout the semester

Guardians are required to complete our waiver before the first club meeting--if they haven't already done so for a different SPARKGROUNDS event. All events are led by professionally trained and insured staff who have passed a Level 2 background check. Students can withdraw from a class series at any time simply by emailing us and prorated refunds are always provided automatically.

This SPARKGROUNDS event is available for direct pay through Florida's Step Up FES-EO, UA, and PEP scholarships. Find events in the Marketplace by selecting 'find providers' and searching for 'SPARKGROUNDS.'