Fast track to STEM: Croatia’s Arduino Express Smart Train adventure!
Publication date: September 23, 2024
EU Code Week is a celebration of creativity, problem-solving and collaboration through coding and other tech-related activities. It aims to make digital skills and innovation accessible to everyone, particularly young people. The Arduino Express smart train project from Croatia exemplifies the essence of what EU Code Week strives to achieve. Lead teacher Sanja Pavlović Šijanović and Davor Šijanović from Gymnasium Vukovar in Croatia shared this inspiring initiative with us.
The story of Arduino Express began in Vukovar, a small town in the heart of Slavonia, where a group of enthusiastic students passionate about science and technology, decided to open the doors to the world of STEM in a creative and fun way. They embarked on the conceptualisation, design, and programming of an innovative technological product that would be interesting to children and young people, allowing them to explore STEM fields through play. They conceived and developed a product in the form of an Arduino smart train and named it Arduino Express.
The project activities allowed students to gain practical experience by applying the theoretical concepts they had learned. They developed skills in programming, engineering, electronics and problem-solving. Creating the smart train encouraged collaboration and teamwork. They learned how to cooperate, communicate and solve problems as a team. Each meeting and every new challenge and problem provided students with opportunities to explore, learn and develop their skills, creativity and innovation.
The Smart Train: Learning STEM through play
The Arduino Express product enables learning through play and explore the STEM world in an exciting and educational way. Although the Arduino smart train looks like a toy, its primary purpose is functionality that encourages learning, especially through what children love most – play. Each carriage of the train carries a specific task and story that ensures the acquisition of new knowledge and skill development. Through direct experiential engagement, the product allows children to better understand and apply theoretical concepts from STEM fields in the real world more clearly.
The first carriage is designed as a smart camera that captures the environment. The second carriage is equipped with a radar that helps students/children discover hidden things and explore their surroundings in a new way. The third carriage is designed as a laboratory for measuring air quality. It is equipped with an air quality monitor that monitors air quality in the environment, contributing to higher environmental awareness. The last carriage is the most complex and is equipped with a Geiger counter. Its goal is to encourage children and young people to explore potential solutions for a safer future. For the realisation of the idea and wireless control of the train, radio connectivity was used via the NRF24L01 wireless module, while the carriages were equipped with the ESP32 CAM Development Board CH340 CH340G 5V Bluetooth + OV2640 Camera, radar (ultrasonic sensor), Air Quality Monitor – PM2.5, CO2, VOC, Ozone, Temp & Hum Arduino Meter, Geiger counter. All train parts were printed using a 3D printer, and different coloured filaments were used for attractiveness.
Why Arduino Express is more than just a toy
Arduino Express can be used as a tool for interactive and fun learning of STEM concepts in classrooms, where teachers can encourage students to explore and experiment. Parents can use it as an educational toy to spark interest in STEM fields and allow children to develop their knowledge and skills through play outside the school environment. Just like the Smart Train, the team of Vukovar high school students, in line with the project’s slogan “Education in Motion,” continues to move forward. In the new school year, they plan to work on developing the idea and product further and promote dynamic learning and exploration, convinced that each new step brings a new opportunity for growth and development.
By fostering collaboration and practical learning, the Arduino Express project not only supports the goals of EU Code Week but also demonstrates how technology can be used to inspire and educate the next generation of thinkers and innovators. This initiative empowers young minds to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, embodying the spirit of education in motion.
