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
76missions
Anybrowser, nothing to install
6 V 220 Ω
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 LabAny circuit, in 2D or 3D
Block program for traffic lights beside a wired Arduino Uno
Arduino LabBlocks drive a real pin map
An Arduino Uno driving a servo on a 3D breadboard
3D viewServos, sensors, motor drivers
Exploded view of a flipper robot with every part labelled
GarageEvery part named and weighed
Two robots pushing in a sumo ring
ArenaSumo 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

  1. Electricity basics. Closed loops, LEDs, motors, series and parallel, battery packs.
  2. BBC micro:bit. First programs: lights, buttons, tilt, temperature and sound on the board many schools use.
  3. Program an Arduino. Meet the Uno, write Blink from blocks, then wire lights and program them.
  4. Inputs and decisions. Buttons, if and else, fading with PWM, and a night-light.
  5. Arduino sensors. Servos, knobs, temperature, motion, distance and colour.
  6. Motors and drivers. The H-bridge, PWM speed control, steering with two motors.
  7. Build a robot. The learner’s own circuit becomes the robot. They test it on tracks, with line sensing and seek-and-push.
  8. Robot arena. Sumo against five practice robots, from easy to champion.
  9. Measuring. Optional. A multimeter, then Ohm’s law from their own readings.
  10. Sharing the push. Optional. Voltage dividers, light sensors and dimmers.
  11. Transistors and logic. Optional. AND, OR and NOT gates, and switches worked by electricity.
  12. Inside a microcontroller. Optional. The ATmega328P’s memory, bits, clock and pins.
  13. Seeing signals. Optional. The oscilloscope: what PWM and a servo’s signal really look like.
  14. Drive a mission robot. Optional. A robot with a hub for a brain: lights and beeps, exact distances, turning by the gyro.
  15. Robots that sense. Optional. Stopping before a wall, reading colours, following a line, and a timed mission.
  16. A real robot board. Optional, for one kit. A 3D tour of the Uniko EKAM: driving pins, wiring and uploading.
  17. Sensors and motors. Optional, for one kit. Its servo, IR sensor, microphone, remote and charger.

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

Live nowAll 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. Accounts for families and schools: class codes with picture logins for children, set work, a class progress grid, and several teachers per school.
NextWork that follows the learner. Projects and programs saved to the account and opened on any device, with lessons and sample programs delivered as they are needed.
ThenOnline arena. Robots from a class or centre compete in tournaments with replays and leaderboards.
LaterPlans for families and schools, teacher-built courses, certificates, robot weapons and live matches, kit-maker board packs, and a version centres can brand as their own.

Where feedback would help

  1. Curriculum. Is the sequence sound and the science accurate? What is missing for this age group?
  2. Outreach. Could it support pre-university engineering outreach, mentoring programmes or robotics competitions?
  3. Pilots. Introductions to schools or robotics centres willing to try the classroom version for a term.
  4. Assessment. How should learning be measured and credited (badges, certificates, teacher reports)?

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.