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Behind the NIHF Scenes

Mix Science and Style With MimicBot!

Every year, our awesome education team here at the National Inventors Hall of Fame® comes up with new and exciting ways to bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning to life at Camp Invention®. Our K-6 summer STEM camp boosts confidence, creativity and design thinking with hands-on activities carefully crafted to inspire campers!

MimicBot is one of four never-before-seen experiences in the all-new 2023 Camp Invention program, Wonder. Want to know what your child can expect to uncover with MimicBot? Keep reading to find out!

Find Opportunities to Explore Biomimicry With Walking, Talking Animatronics

In this creative experience, campers turn a mimicking robot into a one-of-a-kind stuffie with style.

Before they get to work transforming their robot into an animatronic masterpiece, campers go through the process of reverse engineering. Using tools in a safe, guided environment, they take apart and reassemble their MimicBot to discover how circuitry helps it move and groove.

As they implement their new knowledge and customize their MimicBot, campers express their individual style and use the power of intellectual property to protect their design. Through this process, children build confidence as they learn to follow their natural curiosity and realize that their ideas have value.

To generate ideas for protecting their MimicBot from a Copy Cat, campers explore nature’s mimics that hide, trick or trap to keep safe or score a meal — and learn about the roles that genetics plays in creating the physical features of plants, animals, insects and even people.

Because each camper is given the creative freedom to bring their coolest ideas to life, their MimicBot uniquely reflects their personality — and when camp ends, they can bring their bot home to play, design and customize even more!

 

Campers Build Essential Skills and Traits

Each of our four brand-new 2023 camp experiences are designed to help your child unlock their creative potential by building the same powerful mindset shared by innovators like our world-changing Hall of Famers. Your child will build this mindset through hands-on exploration, strengthening it each time they use it. Best of all, they can apply this mindset throughout their lives, regardless of where their innovative journey takes them.

MimicBot will focus on the following topics:

STEM: Your child will learn to unleash the power of genetics as they explore nature and biomimicry. They also will discover basic concepts of mechanics, circuitry and programming as they uncover the inner workings of their animatronics.

Intellectual Property: Patent drawings, patent protection, the patent application process and concepts like copyright infringement are all discussed in a kid-friendly way as your child and their fellow campers are reminded that their ideas have value!

Innovation: Throughout their week at camp, your child will be continually challenged to expand and improve their ideas as they take in new information and adapt the design of their MimicBot to make them as unique as they are.

 

Reserve Your Child’s Spot at Camp Invention

To learn more about the all-new fun you can expect from our 2023 Camp Invention program – and to save your spot today – we encourage you to visit our website!

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