← Back to Missions
ADVANCED • 90 MINUTES

Mission 9: Microscope Explorer 🔬

Transform your robot into a mobile science lab!

🔬

🎯 What You'll Learn

🔍 Magnification

How lenses bend light to make tiny things visible

🧬 Microscopy

Exploring structures invisible to the naked eye

📷 Macro Photography

Close-up imaging techniques

🔬 Scientific Method

Observation, documentation, discovery

📦 What You Need

🌍 Welcome to the Tiny Universe!

This mission is MIND-BLOWING for kids! 🤯 Everyday objects look completely different at 30x magnification. A penny reveals mountains and valleys. Paper looks like a forest of fibers. Their own fingerprint becomes a landscape of ridges!

But here's what makes this even cooler: The robot can drive to different locations and examine them. It's a mobile science lab! Imagine programming it to inspect different parts of a circuit board, or scan leaves in a garden looking for bugs.

Real-world connection: This is exactly how quality control works in factories (inspecting computer chips), how doctors examine skin lesions, and how scientists study microorganisms! 🏭🩺🦠

🛠️ Let's Build a Mobile Lab!

1

Attach the Microscope Module

The microscope attachment is a small lens unit that clips or screws onto the front of the HuskyLens camera. Carefully attach it according to the instructions (usually just a twist-lock or clip mechanism).

Attachment Tips:

  • • Make sure it's clean—dust and fingerprints ruin images!
  • • Align it straight—tilted lens = blurry edges
  • • Don't overtighten—just snug is fine
  • • Keep the lens cap on when not in use
🔬 What You've Got: The module provides 30x magnification. That means a 1mm object looks 30mm on screen—30 times bigger!
2

Understanding Focus Distance

The microscope has a very shallow depth of field. This means it only sees clearly at one specific distance—about 5-10mm from the lens!

Finding Focus:
1. Place an object (like a coin) on a table
2. Slowly lower the HuskyLens toward it
3. Watch the screen—it'll be blurry, blurry, blurry... then SNAP! Sharp!
4. That perfect distance (usually ~8mm) is the "focal length"
5. Stay at that distance for clear images
💡 Pro Tip: The robot's ground clearance is about 1-2cm. You can drive it slowly toward objects until they come into focus on the HuskyLens screen!
3

First Exploration: Everyday Objects

Start with safe, interesting things lying around the house. Let them discover how different the micro-world looks!

Amazing Things to Examine (Easy Level):

  • • 💰 Coins: See the tiny text and texture details
  • • 📄 Paper: Looks like a forest of fibers!
  • • 🧵 Fabric: See the woven threads up close
  • • 🖨️ Printed text: Newspapers look like dots (halftone printing)
  • • 🍃 Leaves: Veins become highways, cells are visible!
  • • 🧂 Salt/sugar: Perfect geometric crystals
  • • 👆 Fingerprints: Touch a glass slide, then examine it!
  • • ✏️ Pencil marks: See the graphite particles
🎨 Activity: Have them draw what they see! Scientific illustration is a real skill—this teaches observation and documentation.
4

Tech Exploration: Circuits & Electronics

This is where robotics meets electronics education! Look at the robot's own components:

Circuit Board Discoveries:

  • • 🔌 micro:bit pins: See the gold plating and contact points
  • • 💾 Chips: Look at the tiny printed text (part numbers)
  • • 🔧 Resistors: See the colored bands up close
  • • ⚡ Capacitors: Examine the cylinder structure
  • • 🔗 Solder joints: See how components are attached
  • • 🛤️ Circuit traces: The copper pathways connecting everything

This demystifies electronics! When they see how components are actually made and connected, circuits stop being "magic boxes" and become understandable systems.

5

Nature Lab: Outdoor Exploration

Take the robot outside (on a nice day) and examine natural specimens:

Outdoor Wonders (Advanced Level):

  • • 🌸 Flower petals: See individual cells and pollen grains
  • • 🍂 Leaf veins: The transport network for water and nutrients
  • • 🐜 Insects: Look at ant legs, fly eyes (if you can catch them gently!)
  • • 🌿 Moss/lichen: Tiny forest ecosystems
  • • 🪨 Rocks: See crystal structures and mineral grains
  • • 🪶 Feathers: Interlocking barbs create the surface
  • • 💧 Water droplets: On leaves—see the surface tension
🦋 Safety Note: Be gentle with living things! Catch-and-release. Never harm insects—observation only. Teach respect for nature!
6

Automated Inspection Robot

Now let's combine robotics with microscopy! Program the robot to scan an area automatically:

// Quality Inspector Bot
On Start:
  Set [inspection_count] to 0

// Drive slowly in a grid pattern
Repeat 5 times:
  Set Motors: Left=50, Right=50
  Pause 2000ms (drive 2 sec)
  Set Motors: Left=0, Right=0
  Pause 3000ms (inspect for 3 sec)

  // Log what we saw
  Show String "Point " + [inspection_count]
  Play Tone 600Hz
  Set [inspection_count] = [inspection_count] + 1

  // Turn 90 degrees
  Set Motors: Left=100, Right=-100
  Pause 600ms
🏭 Real Application: This is how factory inspection robots work! They scan products for defects (cracks, discoloration, missing parts) at high speed.
7

Science Fair Project Ideas

The microscope robot can be the foundation for amazing science projects:

Experiment Ideas:

  • • 🧪 Crystal Growth: Document salt/sugar crystals forming over days
  • • 🌱 Plant Growth: Time-lapse of seed germination at cellular level
  • • 🧬 Textile Comparison: Examine cotton vs polyester vs wool fibers
  • • 💵 Counterfeit Detection: Compare real vs fake money under magnification
  • • 🍕 Food Science: Look at bread mold growth (controlled environment!)
  • • 💧 Water Quality: Examine pond water vs tap water for particles
  • • 🖨️ Print Technology: Compare inkjet, laser, and newspaper printing

🔬 What's Happening Behind the Scenes?

The microscope module uses a convex lens (curved outward) positioned very close to the camera sensor. When light from a tiny object passes through this lens, it bends (refracts) and spreads out, creating a magnified virtual image on the camera sensor.

The Optics:

  1. 1. Light source: Ambient light (or built-in LED) illuminates the specimen
  2. 2. Object reflection: Light bounces off the object's surface
  3. 3. Lens refraction: Convex lens bends light rays outward
  4. 4. Virtual image: Magnified image forms at the camera sensor
  5. 5. Digital capture: Camera converts light to pixels (digital image)
  6. 6. Display: HuskyLens screen shows the magnified view in real-time

Magnification Formula: M = (Image Distance / Object Distance). At 30x magnification, a 0.5mm object appears as 15mm on screen!

Historical Impact: Microscopes revolutionized science! Van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria in 1676 using a simple lens microscope. Robert Hooke coined the term "cell" in 1665. Now your nephews have better magnification technology in a robot than what won Nobel Prizes! 🏆

⚠️ Safety & Care Guidelines

🚫 Never Look At:

Direct sunlight, lasers, or bright LEDs through any magnifying lens! This can damage eyes. The HuskyLens screen is safe—only look at specimens through the digital display.

🧼 Keep It Clean:

Fingerprints and dust ruin images. Use a lens cloth (or very soft cotton) to gently clean. Never use paper towels—they scratch!

💧 No Liquids:

Don't examine water droplets directly on the lens! Put them on a clear surface (glass slide, plastic) and view through that. Liquids can seep into the module.

🐛 Gentle with Life:

Be kind to insects and plants. Observe without harming. Catch-and-release. Teach scientific ethics alongside technical skills!

✅ Mission Success Checklist

🚀 Ready for the Ultimate Challenge?

WOW! The robot is now a mobile science laboratory! The boys learned about optics, magnification, microscopy, and scientific observation. They've explored the invisible world and seen how technology enhances human perception!

Final Mission: Time to combine EVERYTHING they've learned! We'll build an obstacle course where the robot must navigate, recognize objects, avoid obstacles, and complete complex tasks. This is the mastery level! 🏆

Final Mission: Ultimate Challenge 🏆 →
← Back to All Missions