Smart Weather and Power Lab: Iot Solutions for Sustainable Energy
Engineering & Coding
This STEM educational program offers first-year middle school students the opportunity to create a miniature, fully functional energy and weather station, incorporating all the key features of a real-life system. The program aims to introduce students to the concepts of renewable energy, meteorology, and their interconnection through hands-on and experiential activities.
Throughout the program, students will build and operate:
- An electricity generation system consisting of a wind turbine and a solar panel.
- A weather station capable of measuring wind speed and direction, rainfall, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and light intensity.
- A data transmission system via WiFi, enabling real-time data collection, processing, and visualization on a cloud-based platform.
Students will assemble the system step by step, integrating electronic and mechanical components, programming the data collection, transmission, and analysis, and understanding how meteorological measurements relate to climate and renewable energy performance.
Additionally, students will design parts of the station that can be manufactured using 3D printing or laser cutting.
The program lasts 24 weeks, consisting of 24 activities, each lasting 1.5 hours. Each activity focuses on building a specific subsystem, following a gradual and structured educational approach.
Objectives of the program
By the end of the program, students will be able to:
✔ Understanding Renewable Energy Sources: Students will learn how wind turbines and solar panels function and how they generate energy.
✔ Introduction to Engineering and Construction: Students will assemble the mechanical components of the wind turbine and the weather station while understanding basic principles of physics and engineering.
✔ Fundamentals of Electronics and Automation: They will build and connect electronic circuits, sensors, and data processing units.
✔ Programming and Data Analysis: Students will learn to collect, process, and visualize meteorological and energy production data through a cloud platform.
✔ 2D & 3D Design: They will use CAD software to design and create station components.
✔ Exploring the Relationship Between Meteorological Data and Climate: Students will understand how the station’s measurements (wind, rainfall, temperature, etc.) relate to climate conditions and how these affect the performance of renewable energy sources.
✔ Teamwork and Innovation: Students will collaborate to create a fully functional system, developing problem-solving and creative thinking skills.
Program Info
- Age: 11-12 years old
- Number of courses: 24
- Duration: 90′
- Number of students: 12
Διαθεματικές Γνώσεις
- Φυσική: Τριβή, Ταχύτητα, Δύναμη, Νόμοι της Μηχανικής
- Τεχνολογία: Περίπλοκες Μηχανές, Αυτόματες Ρομποτικές Κατασκευές
- Μηχανική: Νοητικά Δίπολα – Στατικότητα ή Ευέλικτη Δόμηση, Δύναμη ή Ταχύτητα
- Μαθηματικά: Σύνθετες Αριθμητικές Πράξεις, Αναζήτηση Μοτίβων, Αλγόριθμοι & Απλός Προγραμματισμός
Θεματικές Ενότητες
Ενότητα 1η: Εισαγωγή στα ρομπότ & τις ρομποτικές κατασκευές, απλές μηχανές και μηχανισμοί
Ενότητα 2η: Εξοικείωση με το προγραμματιστικό περιβάλλον του Scratch, κίνηση κατασκευών μέσω κινητήρα και τηλεχειρισμός τους
Ενότητα 3η: Εισαγωγή στους αισθητήρες και στον αυτοματισμό, επιλογή τηλεχειρισμού ή αυτονομίας ρομποτικών κατασκευών
Ενότητα 4η: Εξοικείωση στη χρήση απλών αλγόριθμων στον προγραμματισμό της αυτονομίας των ρομποτικών κατασκευών (αποφάσεις, επαναλήψεις, τελεστές, μεταβλητές)
Ενότητα 5η: Εφαρμογή δεξιοτήτων στην κατασκευή «προχωρημένων» ρομποτικών κατασκευών