During a summer of the Electric Eagle Robotics internship, a 1781 student created the Lindbot, a low-cost robotics platform that our team recognized as an opportunity to expand access to robotics education. Since then, 1781 has refined the Lindbot into a scalable educational tool, developing a course guide that teaches students CAD, 3D printing, mechanical assembly, and programming. Integrated into Lindblom’s curriculum, the Lindbot provides students with hands-on experience in engineering and robotics. Our team has manufactured and distributed Lindbots to other schools, expanding access to practical STEM education and helping students from diverse backgrounds develop foundational skills aligned with FIRST programs. Through these efforts, 1781 continues to promote FIRST and strengthen robotics education throughout the wider community. 

Spanning approximately half the school year, the Robotics class at Lindblom focuses entirely on the Lindbot manufacturing process. The project is divided into four main phases, beginning with component design. Next is manufacturing, which typically takes the most time due to the emphasis on teaching students to safely operate equipment such as hand drills, a box brake, a drill press, and a Prusa 3D printer. The third phase focuses on electrical components, introducing students to an LED Array protoboard and a Proto HAT to bring the robot’s hardware together. Finally, the project concludes with coding, where students test their work and operate the robot using commands transmitted through an infrared (IR) remote.

Since its creation at Lindblom, the Lindbot has grown beyond the classroom to make an impact on the wider community. Its reach has extended to other schools, including Lane Tech, Taft, and Clemente, where it provides students with a hands-on introduction to robotics. Just as the Lindbot has become a staple of Lindblom’s Robotics 1 course, serving as a practical project through which students apply their engineering skills, it has helped bring similar learning opportunities to students at other schools. By sharing the Lindbot with the wider community, Lindblom 1781 continues to expand access to robotics education, encouraging students to explore engineering, manufacturing, and programming through hands-on experience. Ultimately, this outreach reflects Lindblom 1781’s commitment to sharing knowledge, creating opportunities, and giving back to the community it serves.