Center For Youth Initiatives

"Creation of a youth technology center for inventive creativity and engineering education"

Laboratory of Electronics, Programming and Robotics

In this laboratory, we are going to teach young people electronics, programming and robotics based on the world’s best teaching practices, and using STEAM teaching materials from Europe, Canada and the CIS Region.

OUR MISSION

Our goal is to inspire a new generation of scientists, technologists and engineers. We believe that understanding of electronics, programming, and robotics is crucial in the contemporary world because it empowers individuals with skills for innovation, problem-solving, automation, diverse career opportunities, and informed decision-making in a tech-driven society.

OUR FOCUS

Practical application
Demonstrating how robots can perform tasks like house cleaning, healthcare assistance, or emergency support.
Hands-on learning with electronics kits.
Engaging children and teenagers in building devices such as traffic lights, robots, musical instruments, to understand electronics and robotics.
Real-life coding skills.
Introducing programming languages like Python, C++, and JavaScript, with Scratch as a foundational tool for young learners

ELECTRONICS, PROGRAMMING AND ROBOTICS

Having knowledge in electronics, programming, and robotics provides a diverse holistic skill set that comes with numerous advantages:

Problem-Solving Skills.
Understanding these fields allows you to approach complex problems from multiple angles, fostering critical thinking and innovative solutions.
Versatility.
You can apply these skills across various industries, from healthcare to manufacturing, entertainment to research, making you adaptable in different environments.
Interdisciplinary Understanding.
You gain insights into how hardware and software interact, enabling you to create integrated systems that function seamlessly.
Career Opportunities.
Proficiency in these areas opens doors to a wide range of career paths, including robotics engineering, software development, automation, and IoT (Internet of Things) fields.
Innovation.
With this knowledge, you can contribute to cutting-edge technologies, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the realm of automation, AI, and machine learning.
Creativity.
Combining electronics, programming, and robotics allows you to bring imaginative ideas to life, whether it's designing new devices, improving existing technologies, or inventing novel solutions.
Problem Automation.
You can automate tasks, enhancing efficiency and productivity in various industries, reducing human error and streamlining processes.
Collaborative Potential.
Understanding these domains enables you to collaborate effectively with professionals from diverse backgrounds, fostering teamwork and interdisciplinary projects.
Futureproofing.
As technology continues to advance, having a grasp of these foundational skills can help you stay relevant and adaptable in a rapidly evolving job market.
Personal Projects.
Beyond professional benefits, you can undertake exciting personal projects, from building robots to creating automated home systems, expanding your skills and exploring your interests.

AMPERKA

WHAT IS AMPERKA?

Amperka specializes in creating educational and experimental electronics kits and modules that cater to a wide range of users in the field of electronics, coding, programming, and Do It Yourself (DIY) projects.

TOOLS AND KITS

Tools and Kits

Amperka provides accessible and engaging tools and sets for learning and experimenting with electronics. Tools include components such as sensors, microcontrollers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), motors, and other electronic parts. Sets contain detailed instructions, making it easier for users to understand and assemble circuits, write code, program, and create various projects. Amperka's products are designed to enable users to build anything from simple experiments to more complex electronic devices.

AIMS

Amperka aims to make electronics, coding and programming more approachable, interactive, practical and enjoyable by offering hands-on experiences and resources that encourage exploration, creativity, and innovation.

ADVANTAGES

Knowing electronics, coding, and programming offers a comprehensive skill set that has several advantages:

Holistic Understanding

Electronics knowledge combined with coding and programming skills creates a holistic understanding of technology, enabling individuals to comprehend and manipulate digital systems at different levels.

Innovation

This combination empowers individuals to innovate and create a wide range of technological solutions, from hardware development to software applications, fostering creativity and problem-solving.

Versatility

Understanding both electronics and programming allows individuals to bridge the gap between hardware and software, making them adaptable to various fields and roles that require multidisciplinary expertise.

Career Opportunities

It expands career opportunities in fields such as robotics, IoT (Internet of Things), embedded systems, artificial intelligence, and more, where knowledge of both electronics and programming is highly valued.

Efficiency and Automation

The synergy between electronics and programming enables the creation of efficient systems, automation of tasks, and development of smart devices that can enhance productivity in various industries.

Critical Thinking

Learning electronics alongside coding and programming nurtures critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills, which are beneficial beyond technical domains.

In summary, the integration of electronics, coding, and programming skills offers a broad skill set that not only facilitates technical proficiency but also nurtures creativity, problem-solving, and adaptability in a technology-driven world.

Educational Training
TETRA MBLOCK SET

Do you want to teach your child the basics of programming, but you understand that boring books can forever discourage interest in this topic? The Tetra set is an excellent solution for starting exciting experiments that will not leave the child indifferent and will be the first step in mastering this science. The set consists of a Tetra motherboard, a set of electronic modules and a book with experiments.

Electronics

The Tetra board is a real small computer. You can connect Tetra to your computer via a regular USB cable, and then program it to perform the intended algorithm and thereby create your own gadget.

You can connect various electronic modules to Tetra to detect button presses, measure temperature, light, and read values from other sensors. You can control motors, turn on light-emitting diodes (LEDs), play sound. Each module has its own purpose.

Programming

The desired behavior of the device is described using the visual programming language mBlock, which is specially created for children to learn the basics of programming.

mBlock programs are composed of a set of logical blocks. They can set conditions, cycles, read sensor readings, send executive commands, and enter variables. Everything is like in real programming, only simpler and more visual: you don’t need to type the code, everything is intuitive.

Educational materials

Educational materials contain information on microcontrollers and the basics of digital devices. Materials contain experiments and programs that go from simple to more complex. They are provided with detailed explanations and comments so that the child gets the essence.

For whom?

This course will be of interest to children from 9 years old. Upon completion of the course, the young technician will expand skills:

master algorithmic thinking,
learn the basic principles of programming,
master visual programming in the mBlock environment,
understand how modern electronics based on microcontrollers work.

"Arduino is a universal microcontroller-based platform, which allows anyone to create and program their own electronic devices."

Good to know

EDUCATIONAL TRAINING – AMPERKA SET

The Amperka set will introduce schoolchildren to programming in the programming language C++ and give them the opportunity to build their own mobile robot. The educational set includes an Iskra Uno (the analogue of Arduino) printed circuit board, more than 150 radio components and educational materials.

Electronics

The components included in the set are carefully selected and balanced elements of a mini laboratory. Components vary from basic electronic components like resistors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and transistors to motors, sensors, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen and mobile platform for building robots. The set also includes breadboards and breadboard wires. These enable to assemble any electrical circuit in a matter of minutes without any soldering. The components are simply inserted and connected with wires.

Educational materials

Educational materials contain information on the fundamentals of microcontroller programming and explains step by step how electronic devices are built. The material is presented from simple to complex. First topics are devoted to the concept of a microcontroller, the basics of programming, and a refresher on the basic laws of electricity. The following discuss important aspects of creating your own electronic devices. And by the end of the course, it becomes possible to create your own autonomous mobile robot.

For whom?

This course will be of interest to novice engineers aged 12 years and older. Upon completion of the course, the young technician:

will gain skills in assembling electrical circuits;
learn how to create digital devices and even assemble a robot;
apply knowledge about the laws of electricity in practice;
will master application programming in C++.

EDUCATIONAL TRAINING – LEARNING SOLDERING

Learn the fine art of soldering from scratch! The Soldering set is a course that will show you how to hold a soldering iron correctly and what to do with it. The set includes tools, accessories, radio components and content for a comfortable start. You will learn with detailed step-by-step instructions and visual infographics. Basics and subtle nuances of soldering will be introduced.

The soldering kit is recommended for adults and children over 12 years old.

EDUCATIONAL TRAINING – INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET OF THINGS

The set will enable to build live prototypes of devices to learn how Internet of Things (IoT) works in practice, including how devices communicate, the basics of machine-to-machine communication, and working with data in a cloud platform.

Electronics

The basis of the set is the popular STM32 Nucleo F401RE microcontroller board. This is a hardware platform for quickly developing your own devices, which supports Arduino Shield expansion boards of the R3 form factor.

The controller is accompanied by sensors, actuators and wireless communication modules, from which it will be possible to create a variety of Internet of Things devices: automatic watering, vehicle tracking or an electronic lock. Learn the basics of IoT using real-life systems or invent your own network gadgets.

The kit contains everything needed for convenient prototyping of devices on a breadboard. All modules are connected using ready-made cables and standard connectors.

Programming

The capabilities of STM32 will be studied in conjunction with the Mbed real-time operating system. The Mbed Studio development environment combines a high level of abstraction and Arduino-like syntax with many ready-made libraries and examples, which makes it easy to learn even for people without experience in hardware programming.

For whom?

The training course on the Internet of Things is designed for 2nd or 3rd year technical students who have basic knowledge of electronics and programming. The “Introduction to the Internet of Things” set will become a testing ground for them to test their ideas and create working prototypes of devices, which can then be put into industrial production if desired.

CREATE YOUR OWN MINI SERVER!

RASPBERRY PI SET

WHAT IS RASPBERRY PI?

Have you ever dreamed of turning your computer into a mini server that could perform tasks around the clock or at the snap of your fingers? Raspberry set is based on the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single-board computer and contains everything to get a complete and ready-to-use Linux system in just a couple of minutes.

RASPBERRY PI SET

"Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom."

Good to know

The heart of the set is a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B microcomputer (4 GB) the size of a bank card. The set also includes a processor, RAM, two Micro-HDMI ports, four USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. Also, 40 general purpose input/output (GPIO) pins to which peripherals are connected to interact with the outside world: actuators, any sensors and everything that runs on electricity.

The operating system is recorded on a microSD card. Raspberry Pi 4 runs a special build of Linux - Raspbian. If you don't know Linux, don't be alarmed. This set is a great opportunity to figure it all out. Connect the single board to a monitor and apply power. After a few seconds, the board will boot into graphical mode, very similar to the usual Windows.

Participants will learn basics of working with Linux. How to start a computer, set up Wi-Fi and change screen resolution, and become familiar with the console and file system. Through experiments basics of the Python programming language will be introduced. This will enable participants to master web programming and build a media centre for your home theatre.

The set is recommended to aspiring software engineers over 14 years old and web developers of any age.

EXTENDED EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING
- ELECTRONICS FOR BEGINNERS

Participants will learn basic laws of electronics, as well as principles of operation of various electronic components.

Hands-on experiments cover the basics of electronics and show how to design, debug, and build electronic devices. Experiments go from simple to complex, starting with simple experiments with electric current and ending with the creation of complex devices using transistors and microcontrollers.

Participants will learn how to make a security alarm to protect against home intrusion, Christmas tree lights, electronic clothing decorations, a sound conversion device, a combination lock, an autonomous robotic cart, etc.

This experimental training is recommended from the age of 10.

EXTENDED EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING
- YODO SET

Explore the world of microelectronics using JavaScript! The set contains a microcontroller that speaks JavaScript. It also includes sensors, actuators, a remote control and a construction kit for attaching it all.

The course will teach how to connect the board to a computer, configure it and load the first program. Participants will become familiar with the basics of JavaScript, learn about electricity, signals, types of modules and expansion cards.

Participants will build 25 interactive devices. Gradually participants will become familiar with all the modules, and the complexity and functionality of the assembled devices will increase.

The set is recommended for aspiring engineers aged 12 and over and web developers of all ages.

CONTINUE THE YODO SET WITH INTERNET OF THINGS

Have you already completed all twenty-five Yodo experiments and want to move on? Collect seven new gadgets and connect them to the Internet. Start automating the world around you.

The Internet of Things or Internet of Things is the concept of connecting a large number of electronic devices into a common network. They communicate with each other via the Internet: they transmit information to each other and react to it. For example, they collect weather data from all over the Earth, manage office buildings, or provide detours if there is a traffic jam ahead on the road.

The concept of “smart home” is closely related to the Internet of Things. Many devices automate routine tasks and allow you to monitor the condition of your home via the Internet. For example, you can turn on the kettle shortly before coming home. Controlling the lights in your apartment from your smartphone is also fun.

As you complete the set, you will learn how to turn on the lights in a room from your phone, monitor the temperature in your home from anywhere in the world, and control devices via Wi-Fi.

You will learn about all the electronic modules, network protocols and data exchange interfaces, and how to work with web services.

EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING – ROBO-BUG SET

The electronic construction set Robo-Bug will open the world of robotics to young engineers. The Robo-Bug platform is the basis of all experiments. Some parts are already soldered on it: small LEDs, electronic timers, a decimal counter and a piezo tweeter. In the center of the platform is a breadboard. Experiment circuits are assembled on it: motors, buttons, capacitors and a potentiometer are connected. Insert the additional parts into the holes on the breadboard and connect them with wires. No soldering is needed.

Exciting experiments with real radio components await aspiring engineers. The end result will be your own remote-controlled robot. By experimenting with light, sound and movement your child will be introduced to the basics of circuit design. Robo-Bug will learn to squeak, blink LEDs and respond to the TV remote control.

This experimental training is recommended for primary school children and above.

EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING – MIKRONIK SET

Mikronik is an electronic construction set that will be able to interest a young child and demonstrate talent. The main goal is to interest a child and show that assembling real electronic devices with own hands is possible. There is no tediousness in Mikronik, no abstruse theory or complex circuit diagrams. The main thing is to bring joy to the child and spark interest in the world of hobby-electronics.

Inside the construction kit there is everything to assemble real electronic devices: buttons, sensors, LEDs, microcircuits, a breadboard and much more. First, children will learn how to assemble devices on a breadboard, how to connect them with wires, and what to do if something doesn't work. Next come experiments. Each experiment involves the creation of a small electronic device with a description of its operating principle. Children will learn about components needed to create different devices and how they work.

This experimental training is recommended for primary school children and above.

EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING – DRAGSTER SET

Dragster set involves a small racing a car and a racking track. This set will help to get started with the world of programming racing robots. A simplified version of C++ programming language, also known as Wiring, is used for programming.

First, young engineers will work with the main modules of the robot. Learn how to start the engines, blink the light-emitting diodes (LEDs), display the power indicator and scan the road in front of the car. Figure out how to fine-tune the line sensors and experiment with the supply voltage. Next, a racing track awaits – races in a straight line, and on more difficult tracks.

This experimental training is recommended for future engineers from the age of 12. Younger participants are also invited to join and work in groups!

EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING – MATRESHKA Z SET

Matreshka Z includes a microcontroller board, set of radio components, wires, breadboard and experiments. Young engineers will learn the fundamental concepts of electricity and circuit design, and experiment by creating different electronic devices.

This experimental training is recommended for future engineers from the age of 14. Younger participants from the age of 10 with the knowledge of electronics and programming are also invited to join and work in groups!

EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING – PLANET XOD SET

Explore the tantalizing horizons of the red planet! With the Planet XOD set, you will build a Martian base, equipped with the latest technology, and take part in the exciting adventures of the very first expedition. The set includes different electronic modules and sensors for monitoring the environment.

Through different experiments, participants will learn to program in the visual language XOD to withstand hostile elements and help the crew of earthlings establish a colony on Mars. The graphical programming environment XOD IDE replaces complex text-based code editors with simple visual objects. By following tips, even a beginner can handle it!

The set is recommended for adults and aspiring engineers aged 12 years and older.

ROBOTICS

In this laboratory, you may find 3 different schools of robotics with teaching materials – American, Canadian and Polish. These robots are designed to teach children and teenagers the basics of robotics, programming and engineering. Our specialists will help to absorb and retain information.

ROBOTICS

We will assemble and program robots using various programming languages, such as Scratch, C++, Python. The knowledge of these programming languages is also useful in the real world. For instance, the programming languages that we will be training can be used for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web Development, Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Application Development, and Game Development. Many sectors including the healthcare sector, finance sector, aerospace sector, and banking sector rely heavily on the knowledge of these programming languages. Many big brands use them, for instance, YouTube, Google, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Robots are not enemies, but friends and helpers. Robots can be used to perform various tasks that can make our lives easier. For example, robots can be used to clean the house, care for the sick, assist in emergencies, etc. And if one can assemble a small robot humanoid, one can also create a big humanoid.

The following are our advanced robots from leading brands, each serving a unique educational purpose.

EZ-Robot (Canada)

Target Audience: Middle school students.
Programming Skills: Scratch, Python, and JavaScript.
Learning Outcome: Basics of programming, robotics and engineering.

Skribot (Poland)

Uses: Programming in C++ and Scratch, and aiding in various school subjects.

Suitable For: Primary and middle school students.

Photon (Poland/US)

Designed For: Pre-school, primary, and middle school.

Focus: Making robotics accessible and enjoyable for younger learners.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Understanding programming languages is useful because it opens doors to diverse career opportunities, enhances problem-solving skills, enables automation, fosters critical thinking, aids in understanding technology, promotes collaboration, encourages innovation, and ensures adaptability in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

JavaScript

Web Development:

Front-End Development: JavaScript is essential for developing interactive and dynamic web pages. It's used to create responsive user interfaces, handle user interactions, and update content dynamically without reloading the page.
Back-End Development: With Node.js, a runtime environment, JavaScript can be used on the server side, allowing for the creation of scalable and efficient web applications.

Mobile App Development:

JavaScript frameworks like React Native enable the development of cross-platform mobile apps that can run on both iOS and Android.

Game Development:

Used for creating browser-based games and interactive web-based experiences.

C++

Software Development:

Ideal for developing high-performance software applications, system/software development, and embedded systems.

Game Development:

Widely used in the gaming industry for developing high-end graphics and real-time simulations due to its fast execution speed.

Scientific Computing:

Utilized in fields requiring complex mathematical calculations like physics simulations, research, and engineering.

Python

Data Science and Machine Learning:

Popular for data analysis, data visualization, and developing machine learning models due to libraries like Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, and TensorFlow.

Web Development: