Utilizing UBTECH’s Advanced UKITs

UBTech has done it again! They’ve created an immersive STEM kit that an advanced roboticist can use to imagine, build, create, and spend hours on developing the most highly desirable skills of the 21st century job market.

The Advanced UKIT is the final piece in UBTech’s series of robotics kits for the classroom. When students reach the Advanced UKIT, they will be challenged in all aspects of building and coding. This is a set that should be introduced to middle or high school level students after working on the Beginner and Intermediate UKITs.  

With the Advanced UKIT, students are introduced to the uKit Explore board, the central unit in which all connections run through to program the robot. The kit includes over 1,000 different pieces, such as sonar/radar sensors, a set of “eyes,” and LED lights – all of which allow the robot to determine shape, size, speed, and distance with proper code. On top of all that, there is a full circuitry package, in which students can learn the fundamentals of electrical engineering. 

Block-based coding with uCode

Students will also be introduced to uCode. This is a separate program from the Beginner and Intermediate UKITs, in which students connect to an app that utilizes block-based coding. uCode is a software program that is associated with the UKIT, but there is so much more you can do with it. Even without a robot, students can work with uCode on projects like designing video games and artificial intelligence programming.  

Speaking of code, students will be able to build with block code and see the text version side-by-side in duel mode. When ready, the Advanced UKIT connects to Arduino, a platform that allows for coding to be done from anywhere. Programming done in the Arduino platform is fully compatible with the uKit Explore board. Practicing building in block code is great for novice coders, and seeing how it looks side-by-side in text code can help students grow and understand coding language. Students will also be able to hone their critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation skills as they work through various coding challenges.

Incorporate UKITs into your curriculum

The Advanced UKIT has some great builds that focus on creating solutions for real-world issues, which is a great reason to incorporate a robotics curriculum into any subject that you may teach. It is a great way to keep your students engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning. For more insights on using the Advanced UKIT check out our companion course, Going further with UBTech.

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more articles on the Teq Talk blog.

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