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Combine repositionable foam components, a spinning motorized weight, and markers to create a rebuildable machine that draws swirling, spinning doodles! Disassemble, redesign, and combine with a friend — every build explores vibration, circuits, and the engineering design process.
Combine repositionable foam components, a spinning motorized weight, and markers to create a rebuildable machine that draws swirling, spinning doodles! Disassemble, redesign, and combine with a friend — every build explores vibration, circuits, and the engineering design process.
Drawbots are a whole new take on vibrating drawing machines! Learners combine repositionable foam components, a spinning motorized weight, and markers to build a small machine that draws on its own. The modular design means every piece can be rearranged and recombined, so no two Drawbots are alike — and learners can even combine their builds with a friend’s to create more complex machines.
Starting with a core build, learners follow a guided process to create a structure that stands on marker legs, holds a battery and motor, and vibrates when a circuit is completed. From there, they redesign, experiment, and iterate — exploring how changes to weight, balance, and structure affect movement and artistic output. Along the way, they practice the engineering design process, build troubleshooting skills, and discover that there’s always more than one way to make a Drawbot draw.
Question: How can you combine a piece and markers to create a body that stands on three legs?
Question: How can you keep the markers connected so they’re more stable?
Pro Tip: Now is a great time to check in with your learners and make sure everyone’s Drawbot is standing on its own before moving on.
Question: The motor and the battery will need to connect to make a circuit that makes the motor spin — how can we use the rubber band to hold wires to the ends of it?
Pro Tip: Stretch the band multiple times before putting it on the battery. Loosening up the elastic first will make it much easier for learners to get it on without frustration.
Question: Where can we attach the battery to our Drawbot body so it’s held firmly in place?
Question: Where can we insert the motor so it’s held firmly in place, and it can spin?
Question: What parts can we add to the end of the motor to make the motor vibrate?
Question: How can we connect the motor wires to the battery so the motor spins? Note: The colors of wires are not important right now — you can experiment with where which color wire goes later and see what changes!
Question: What will your Drawbot create? Let’s find out!
Question: How could you rebuild it?
Remind learners that it’s okay to fail and try again!
RI.K-2.7 – Use Information from Illustrations: Example: Learners reference visual build guides and diagrams to identify where to place the motor, battery, and foam components on their Drawbot base.
SL.K-2.1 – Participate in Collaborative Conversations: Example: Learners discuss design choices with partners as they decide how to arrange markers for stability and where to attach the unbalanced weight for the best drawing patterns.
RI.3.7 – Use Information from Text Features and Diagrams: Example: Learners interpret step-by-step build diagrams to understand how the motor, rubber band, and battery connect to form a complete Drawbot circuit.
W.3-5.2 – Write Informative/Explanatory Texts: Example: Learners document their Drawbot design process by recording which foam configurations produced stable movement and explaining why certain weight placements created different vibration patterns.
RST.6-8.7 – Integrate Quantitative and Technical Information: Example: Learners analyze technical diagrams alongside written instructions to troubleshoot circuit connections and optimize the placement of the unbalanced weight on their Drawbot’s motor gear.
W.6-8.1 – Write Arguments with Claims, Reasons, and Evidence: Example: Learners write evidence-based arguments about design choices, explaining why a specific marker arrangement and weight position produced the most controlled drawing pattern during testing.
K.MD.A.1 – Describe Measurable Attributes of Objects: Example: Learners measure and describe the spacing between markers on their Drawbot’s base, observing how wider or narrower placement affects balance and drawing width.
1.G.A.2 – Compose Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Shapes: Example: Learners identify geometric shapes in foam components and describe how combining rectangular and circular pieces creates a stable three-dimensional Drawbot structure.
3.MD.B.4 – Generate Measurement Data: Example: Learners measure the length and width of foam components to determine optimal placement on the Drawbot base and record how different configurations affect movement range.
4.MD.A.3 – Apply Area and Perimeter Formulas: Example: Learners calculate the optimal placement area for motor and battery components on the Drawbot base, ensuring balanced weight distribution across the structure.
6.RP.A.3 – Use Ratio Reasoning to Solve Problems: Example: Learners analyze weight-to-vibration ratios by comparing how different unbalanced weight sizes on the motor gear change the speed and pattern of their Drawbot’s movement across the drawing surface.
7.G.A.2 – Draw Geometric Shapes with Given Conditions: Example: Learners apply geometric reasoning to optimize component placement, calculating marker angles and spacing to achieve specific drawing patterns and maximize the Drawbot’s range of motion.
K-PS2-1 – Plan and Conduct an Investigation of Forces: Example: Learners investigate how the unbalanced weight creates vibration by observing their Drawbot’s motor spin and noticing how the off-center weight pushes the entire machine in different directions across the paper.
K-2-ETS1-2 – Develop a Simple Model or Prototype: Example: Learners build and test a working Drawbot prototype, then redesign their foam component arrangement to improve stability and change the drawing patterns their machine produces.
MS-PS3-5 – Construct an Explanation of Energy Transfer: Example: Learners explain how electrical energy from the battery transfers to mechanical energy through the motor, causing the unbalanced weight to spin and vibrate the entire Drawbot structure across the drawing surface.
MS-ETS1-2 – Evaluate Competing Design Solutions: Example: Learners compare multiple Drawbot configurations side by side, testing how different foam arrangements and marker placements perform and selecting the design that best meets their drawing goals.
3-PS2-4 – Define a Simple Design Problem: Example: Learners define an engineering problem with specific constraints, such as designing a Drawbot that draws within a bounded area by controlling vibration intensity through weight placement and motor orientation.
3-5-ETS1-3 – Plan and Carry Out Fair Tests: Example: Learners conduct systematic tests by changing one variable at a time, such as adjusting only the unbalanced weight position while keeping marker spacing constant, to determine which factor most affects their Drawbot’s drawing pattern.
Check wire connections — each metal end must touch an opposite end of the battery. Make sure the wires are carefully slid under the rubber band on each end.
Adjust foam weights, reposition the motor, or change marker angles. Most importantly — is anything keeping the unbalanced weight on the motor from spinning? Is it stuck on something like a marker?
Adjust leg positioning, length, and angle or shift components for balance. The motor and battery are heavy — where can they be moved to keep things stable?
Check three things: First, make sure the unbalanced weight isn’t bumping into anything like the markers. Second, make sure the weight isn’t pushed too far down past the gear. Finally, ensure the foam weight is correctly attached and the motor is held tightly to the body — motors that are tight to the body make bots that vibrate and move more!
