Concept overview · October 2026

Electron Lab

Learners go from “what is electricity?” to building, programming and battling their own robot, all in the browser and ready for real hardware.

17levels

106missions

Anybrowser, nothing to install

The 60-second film · real screens from the appSound on

01 · BUILD

Wire real circuits

A circuit solver runs every build. Too little resistance burns out the LED; measure it with a multimeter and Ohm’s law appears.

02 · CODE

Program it with blocks

Blocks run on a simulated Arduino Uno. Each block lights up as it runs, and every pin shows its voltage.

03 · TAKE IT REAL

Run it on hardware

Programs save as .mblock files. Open them in mBlock and upload to a real Arduino robot.

Inside the labs · real screens

Three LEDs wired in parallel on a 3D breadboard — **Circuit Lab**Any circuit, in 2D or 3D

Block program for traffic lights beside a wired Arduino Uno — **Arduino Lab**Blocks drive a real pin map

An Arduino Uno driving a servo on a 3D breadboard — **3D view**Servos, sensors, motor drivers

Exploded view of a flipper robot with every part labelled — **Garage**Every part named and weighed

Two robots pushing in a sumo ring — **Arena**Sumo against practice robots

The problem

Robotics kits teach children to copy wiring diagrams and drag blocks until a robot moves. Few explain why it works: what current is, why a pin cannot drive a motor, or what a microcontroller does with a program. Kits are expensive, parts break, and a class shares a handful of boards. Electron Lab teaches the engineering underneath, with simulated parts that behave like the real ones, so every learner can build, measure, fail safely and try again.

Who it is for

Robotics centresA structured course from first principles to a robot, to run alongside their kits.

SchoolsSTEM and computing classes, with no lab budget or software installs needed.

ParentsSelf-paced learning at home that builds on what a child does in class.

Written for learners of about 10 to 15, with no prior electronics or coding. It works on a tablet or a laptop and is designed for learners anywhere, not one country or one kit.

What learners learn

Electricity basics. Closed loops, LEDs, motors, series and parallel, battery packs.
Measure it. A multimeter on the circuits they built, then Ohm’s law from their own readings.
Circuits that sense. Voltage dividers, a light sensor and dimmers: circuits that react, with no code.
Switches that think. AND and OR, the transistor as a switch worked by electricity, and a first look inside the chip.
Program an Arduino. The circuits get a brain: meet the Uno, write Blink from blocks, then wire lights and program them.
Inputs and decisions. Buttons, if and else, fading with PWM seen on the scope, and a night-light.
Arduino sensors. Servos, knobs, temperature, motion, distance and colour.
Motors and drivers. The H-bridge, PWM speed control, steering with two motors.
Build a robot. The learner’s own circuit becomes the robot. They test it on tracks, with line sensing and seek-and-push.
Robot arena. Sumo against five practice robots, from easy to champion.
BBC micro:bit. Optional side quest. First programs with no wiring, on the board many schools use.
Inside a microcontroller. Optional. The ATmega328P’s memory, clock, pins and interrupts.
Drive a mission robot. Optional. A robot with a hub for a brain: lights and beeps, exact distances, turning by the gyro.
Robots that sense. Optional. Stopping before a wall, reading colours, following a line, and a timed mission.
Meet your EKAM. Optional, for one kit. A 3D tour of the Uniko EKAM, then programming its lights, buttons and light sensor, uploading to the real board, and a night-light project.
EKAM add-ons. Optional, for one kit. Programming its servo, microphone and TV remote, charging safely, and a remote-controlled servo project.
Energy and power. Optional. Power in watts, electricity from sunlight, electromagnets, a hand-crank generator, why an LED wastes less than a bulb, and a light that needs no battery.

How it teaches

Real physicsA circuit solver runs every build, so a missing resistor burns out an LED and a weak supply stalls a motor.

Hands onLearners wire parts in 3D, probe with a multimeter, and step through programs block by block while watching the pins change.

Code to hardwareArduino programs import from and export to mBlock (.mblock), and micro:bit programs copy straight into MakeCode, so the same program runs on real hardware.

Trade-offsIn the Garage, every body kit changes weight, grip, current draw and pins used. Winning takes engineering, not luck.

ReflectionAfter each match, a replay and an “engineer’s debrief” show why the robot won or lost and what to change.

MotivationLevels unlock new body kits. Learners can share robot codes to challenge friends.

Roadmap

NowFamilies and individual learners. All 17 levels; the circuit, Arduino, micro:bit, ESP32 and Pico labs; block coding with typed code beside it; the Garage, test tracks and the sumo arena; five everyday machines to open up in 3D. Accounts and the Family plan, work saved on any device, and online robot battles with shareable robot codes.

NextRobotics learning centres. Practice and homework between weekly classes: instructors set missions, learners keep building at home, and parents see progress. It works with the kits centres already use: Arduino, mBlock and LEGO SPIKE.

ThenSchools. Lessons that fit school science and technology curricula in Canada, the US and beyond, plus Google Classroom, class sets and a French version.

LaterElectron Lab kits. Kits matched to each level, starting with trusted partners, then our own kit with a robot chassis that matches the Garage designs.

The goalRobot battle competitions. Seasonal online leagues, then live sumo events at robotics centres, growing into regional and international championships.

Built for children. No ads, no third-party tracking and no account needed to start. It works offline. An account stores only a child’s first name and learning progress; children never give an email address.