PhysBot Data Tracker Learning Kit

ISBN: 978-1-5323-7504-0
By: Horton, Bob

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fitness trackers are the newest craze in personal fitness! By 2020, more than 410 million such devices are forecasted to be on the arms of kids and adults worldwide. Although everyone knows what they do, few know how they do it. The PhysBot Learning Kit lets 3rd – 12th graders experience the exciting science and technology behind these devices, empowering them to: • Demystify what’s actually going on inside a fitness tracker • Investigate fitness tracker technology used to record movement and heart rate • Perform data scientist skills to foster career connections • Problem solve through project based learning and hacking experiences • Set goals to improve overall fitness from tracking physical activity. The PhysBot Learning Kit provides students and adults with everything needed to get started including the exclusive PhysBot data tracker, curriculum guide, downloadable software, and web support. The PhysBot Data Tracker device features an Arduino microcontroller that serves as the brains connecting heart rate, steps traveled and temperature sensors to the tracker’s circuitry. Users monitor sensor activity with the tracker’s LED display. Data transmitted from the sensors to the Arduino processor is stored, processed and transmitted to a computer program via a detachable 2-meter USB cable. It is the same bio information stored and processed by expensive fitness trackers, except as a first-of-its-kind educational kit developed exclusively at The Ohio State University.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Horton

Dr. Bob Horton is a Professor at the Center for 4-H Youth Development at The Ohio State University. He is a nationally recognized leader in Informal Science Education and has published over 40 science-based 4-H curriculum publications. Dr. Bob is credited with the popularization of 2-liter bottle rocketry and is a regularly featured presenter at state and national youth science events.