Meet Fable: A modular robot for everyone!
The Fable story starts in 2011 at the Technical University of Denmark just outside Copenhagen. Moises Pacheco started his collaboration with David Johan Christensen, an associate professor and robot researcher.
The Fable robot makes it fun and easy to teach 21st century skills and STEM
Fable is a modular construction set that students can use to create their own robot in just a few minutes. Students can click the different modules together in no end of different ways to build their robot’s body, and give it senses and movement.
Depending on their experience level, the students can program the robot with visual blocks (Blockly) or a text language (Python). Within just one lesson, the students can work with innovation to solve real-world problems. Fable is appropriate for primary (9+), secondary and higher education.
The Fable system is composed of three types of modules: Function modules, build modules and extension modules
- Robust design, strong enough for rough treatment at school
- Quality components with powerful motors and accurate sensors
- No wires or cables: wireless programming and rechargeable batteries
- Strong magnetic joints, easily clicked together
- Fast to get ready and clear up, leaving more time for teaching
- Unique open-ended system which can be extended with LEGO® and your own 3D-prints
Dongle
Fable is controlled wirelessly via a dongle linked to your PC or Mac via a USB. Soon you may also use your iPad via Bluetooth.
Joint module
The joint module give the robot its functionality.
Pupils develop a computer program that applies the modules’ functionality to give the robot the desired behaviour. The joint module contain a rechargeable battery and a small computer, and communicate wirelessly with a dongle. The dongle can be linked to a computer via a USB or a tablet via Bluetooth.
Build modules
There’s no electronics in these modules, but they make the system easy to build with.The modules are available in a number of different shapes that mean you can build very simple or very complex robots.
Extension modules
These modules make it possible to combine the system with other systems. For example, a robot can be fitted with a LEGO® hand, a smartphone running Skype, a 3D-printed robot head, or the laser pointer that comes with the product.
Examples of Fable robots
Combining function, build and extension modules gives pupils untold possibilities to create different types of robots.
Some robots are pure imagination and are mostly for fun, while others have been carefully designed by the pupil to solve a real-life problem. We’ve developed more than fifteen different types of module, of which some are already in production, several are on the way, and even more will be developed in the future.
