Save Humanity!
A Makeathon Game by Tom Fox, MTF Labs
Save Humanity! is a Makeathon game that takes a little preparation but is well worth it. Makeathons are not meant to be competitive, so it was important to come up with a game in which everyone could win together. It's not just a game that you can play during a Makeathon - it can be the whole point of the Makeathon, in which teams work together throughout the event to create robots that can help win the game and help every other team to achieve their common goal... to Save Humanity!
Aim
You are representing all of humanity. The purpose of the game is for each of the Makeathon groups to build a Micro:Bit robot that will work with all of the other teams' Micro:Bit robots to retrieve all of the Action Tokens from the playing field and place them in a designated area in order to complete the Goals and save the world.
Items needed before play:
2 microbits per team
3 continuous servos per team
Wheels
Assorted Lego bricks (optional)
3 x AA Battery Pack per team
17 x 3D printed Tokens per Game (download here)
1 printout of board (download here)
17 numbered hexagons
1 pack of ‘goal update’ cards (download here)
Attachments for the tokens
Velcro
Magnets
String
Crafting materials to build robots
Coloured cardboard
Glue
Sellotape
Scissors
Sticks (wooden skewers)
Drinking straws
Wood (light pieces eg: balsa)
Etc…
Playing the Game
The game consists of tokens, and a deck of cards.
There are two types of token.
Goal tokens which are placed face-down in a central area (on a table) in a randomised honeycomb pattern. These are linked to the UNSDG’s and numbered.
Action Tokens, which are also numbered and scattered at random points across the playing field (floor or large table). They have different attachments on them which we will explain later.
The purpose of the game is for Humanity to build microbit robots to retrieve the Action tokens from the playing field and place them in a designated area in order to complete the Goals.
Playing the game
The board of Goal tokens are placed face-down in a central area. In each turn, a Goal token is flipped over to reveal which Action token needs to be retrieved.
If your robot cannot retrieve that action token, it is considered ‘incomplete’ and the goal token remains face down with some sort of temporary marker to indicate it is out of play. We will call these Barriers.
The next team then takes their turn.
If the robot can retrieve the token and place it in a designated area, the action token is placed on the goal token and is considered ‘achieved’.
If a goal is achieved, a card can be drawn from the pile of Goal Updates cards. These cards can either be helpful to the teams or a hindrance.
Winning
If all of the action tokens become achieved, humanity wins!
Losing
If there are Goal tokens left incomplete and have been marked as out of play, and there are no more goals to flip over, humanity loses!
Mechanisms:
Each Action token will have either:
Some Velcro
A Magnet
A loop of string or wire
It may also be placed in/behind/under an obstacle that is related to that specific UN SDG (e.g., Life Under Water: the token may be placed in a bowl of water).
Students will have to design the robots to be able to pick up the tokens in any way they see fit. They could either try to design a robot that can pick up ANY token (with something like a scoop, or grabbing mechanism) or they can focus on just one specific attachment, which will require cooperation and coordination with other teams so that their robots may complement each other.
Goal Update Cards
Receive a new partnership Use this card to allow one other robot to help you retrieve a token.
Severe weather event A monsoon has caused disease to spread, place an action related to health back onto the board.
Funding boost Remove one of the barriers on the goal tokens.
Community involvement Your project gains the support of local communities. Move one action token from the board to the designated area.
Government funding You've received additional funding from the government to support your project. Remove a barrier.
Funding cut Your funding has been cut. Move one goal token back to the incomplete area.
Technical difficulties Your robot experiences technical difficulties, making it unable to pick up an action token. Skip your turn.
Environmental hazard An environmental hazard, such as pollution or flooding, has made it difficult to access an action token. Place an additional barrier on the corresponding goal token.
Political interference A political decision has interfered with your project, causing setbacks. Move one goal token back to the incomplete area.
Power cut The driver of your robot must be blindfolded and guided to their next token by their teammates’ commands.
Robot Resources
Wiring diagram for 1 Micro:Bit and 3 servo motors. They all share one battery pack and so have a common ground and common power connection. The orange cables from the servo connect to pins 0, 1 and 2.
Micro:Bit code
https://makecode.microbit.org/_VxK3xLdFg0qv
Download this code to TWO Micro:Bits; one that is connected to the servos on the robot, and one to act as the controller.
IMPORTANT: Make sure each team changes the number for the radio group, otherwise every controller in the room will be trying to control every robot in the room. Which could be fun, but also very chaotic.
This code allows for:
Button A - Move forwards
Button B - Move servo that isn’t a wheel
Button A+B - Stop all motors
Tilt microbit to the left - Turn Left
Tilt microbit to the right - Turn Right
Tilt microbit upwards - Reverse
Code and connections should be edited by each team to suit their robot design.
Token Obstacles
You can increase the challenge by placing obstacles that make each token more difficult to retrieve. This can include things like placing the token in a bowl of water, at the top of a ramp, in a small obstacle course of boxes, etc. It would be fun to relate each token to their corresponding UNSDG but that might take a lot of time and resources to set up!
However, here are some suggestions for more obstacles, courtesy of ChatGPT:
No Poverty: Goal token could be placed in an area with limited resources, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents a basic need, such as food or water, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Zero Hunger: Goal token could be placed in an area with a lot of food waste, and the action token could be attached to a small container that the robot needs to fill with leftover food and bring to the designated area to be donated to a food bank.
Good Health and Well-being: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent health challenges, such as barriers that represent diseases or infections, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents a treatment or cure, such as a syringe or pill, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Quality Education: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent educational challenges, such as walls that represent barriers to access to education, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents a tool for learning, such as a book or a tablet, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Gender Equality: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent gender-based discrimination or stereotypes, such as walls that represent gender barriers or toys that represent gender stereotypes, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents empowerment, such as a badge or a key, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Clean Water and Sanitation: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent water pollution or scarcity, such as barriers that represent water contaminants, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents water filtration or purification, such as a filter or a purifier, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Affordable and Clean Energy: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent energy scarcity or environmental pollution, such as barriers that represent fossil fuels or waste, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents clean energy, such as a solar panel or a wind turbine, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Decent Work and Economic Growth: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent unemployment or low wages, such as barriers that represent job discrimination, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents economic growth, such as a coin or a dollar bill, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent technological challenges, such as walls that represent lack of access to technology or outdated equipment, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents innovation, such as a 3D printer or a robot, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Reduced Inequalities: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent social inequality, such as walls that represent discrimination or prejudice, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents inclusivity, such as a puzzle piece or a heart, which the robot needs to retrieve and bring to the designated area.
Sustainable Cities and Communities: Goal token could be placed in an area with obstacles that represent environmental challenges, such as barriers that represent pollution or waste, and the action token could be attached to a small object that represents sustainability, such as a plant or a recycling bin
Make the game your own!
Add more variety to the action tokens: Consider adding more types of attachments to the action tokens to make the game more challenging and interesting. For example, you could include tokens with wheels or rolling mechanisms, tokens with slippery surfaces, or tokens that need to be balanced or stacked.
Increase the difficulty level: To make the game more challenging, you could add more barriers or obstacles on the playing field or require the robots to retrieve the action tokens in a specific order. You could also add a time limit for completing each goal.
Include more goal update cards: You could add more goal update cards to keep the game unpredictable and engaging. Here are some suggestions:
Innovation award Your team has received recognition for the most innovative robot design. You may remove one barrier from any goal token.
Collaborative effort Another team has agreed to collaborate with you on a goal. Choose one goal token and allow the other team's robot to work with yours to achieve it.
Natural disaster A natural disaster has occurred, making it more difficult to retrieve an action token. Place an additional barrier on the corresponding goal token.
Surprise donation Your team has received an unexpected donation. Remove one barrier from any goal token.
Robot malfunction Your robot has malfunctioned, and you must spend one turn repairing it before continuing the game.
Environmental protection Your team has received recognition for its efforts to protect the environment. You may remove one action token from the playing field and place it in the designated area.
Power surge The driver of the robot experiences a sudden power surge, causing the robot to move faster for one turn.
Consider adding a bonus round: If all the action tokens are achieved, you could add a bonus round where the teams have to work together to create a special robot that can complete a final challenge. The challenge could be to move a large object or to navigate an obstacle course.
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