Got Fourth of July plans? Well forget them, because we’ve got some other ideas for you…
First off, don’t miss our Fourth of July Giveaway. We’re giving away an Evo Prize Pack to two lucky Ozobot fans, and entering to win couldn’t be easier!
Also, Evo wants to propose a firework of a different kind this year. Fourth of July fireworks are easy on the eyes, but not so easy on our environment. According to Gary Fuller at The Guardian, the prettiest parts of pyrotechnics are also the most toxic. Those red, white, and blue hues we know and love? They’re produced by launching and burning tiny metal particles–lithium, barium, and copper to be exact.
During Wednesday’s Independence Day celebrations, particles will linger over our cities for hours. One study found that air particulate concentrations jump by up to 370% after July 4th fireworks displays. So why not forego the backyard blasters this year? Grab Evo and create a light show with {code} instead!
#BuiltWithOzoBlockly: Evo Fireworks
You’ll need:
1 Evo robot
A computer or tablet (for coding in OzoBlockly)
First, prepare your play space. Find a smooth, clean surface for Evo to perform on. This will be your “night sky.”
Next, open OzoBlockly. Before your start your program, think about what you want Evo’s show to look like. Knowing that OzoBlockly is sequential, meaning Evo will complete one command in the code before starting another one, we decided to have Evo do the following:
- Shoot into the sky. From the Movement Blocks, we selected Zig Zag, dragged it into our workspace, and set it to fast).
- Spin around. This one was easy: we went back to Movement and grabbed Spin.
- Light up like a firework! Turns out OzoBlockly had the perfect Light Effects Block, Firework, just waiting for this special day.
You can find all of these blocks in Beginner OzoBlockly. After loading and running our program (find tips and steps here), we decided we wanted Evo’s performance to go on and on, so we added a Loop Block and set it to repeat six times:
Can you create an Evo Light Show of your own with OzoBlockly? Be sure to connect with us @Ozobot and share your creation with #OzoSquad and #HackCreativity!
Create with Color Codes
Not ready for OzoBlockly? You can use Evo, Color Codes, and a slow shutter app to create and capture a light show. Find step-by-step instructions for Evo Light Trail Art here.
