Join the parade

On April 13, 2024, YOU can be a part of
UNCG’s first and finest Cardboard Robot Parade.

See that cardboard box in the recycling bin? That’s the start of your Wearable Cardboard Robot (WCR).

  1. You’ll need a few basic supplies to get started. Strong scissors, tape (masking, duct or clear), string, glue (stick, white or a hot glue gun), markers, crayons, color pencils, bottle caps, scraps of Grandma’s magazine, your old hair brush with 5 bristles left, your cat’s least favorite toy, wrappers from a candy bar.

  2. Get inspired…. Look at books about robots and futuristic cars, search the Interwebs for happy robots (or angry or sad or joyous or dog or old or purple or polka dot robots), and watch a few episodes of the Jetsons. His boy Elroy.

  3. Doodle some ideas on paper. Draw things quick and big. Doodle some more. Draw another idea, but this time, make it totally different. Try that again a few more times. Do any of your doodles make your eyes happy? Add some details to that doodle.

  4. Pick up a piece of cardboard and cut out some little pieces. Next, cut a big circle. Now cut out a tiny circle. Rip the big circle in half. Rip those halves in half again. Crunch up one of those pieces. Write your name with crayons on another one. Run the third piece under the water in the bathroom sink. Take the fourth one and try to peel off one side of the cardboard paper. Did you figure out anything new?

  5. Look at your drawings and your found treasures. How can use use those to build your Wearable Cardboard Robot? Grab some tape, glue, markers and start assembling!

  6. Oh no! Did you mess something up? That’s awesome! At the Cardboard Robot Factory, we encourage all of our Cardboard Engineers to FAIL often and fabulously. Sounds crazy right? You see, at the Cardboard Robot Factory, FAIL stands for:

Keep building and keep failing! We can’t wait to see what you create. Wear your amazing Cardboard Robot costume to UNCG’s Science Everywhere Festival on Saturday, April 13th! The parade begins at 3:30 PM at the Graham Building on UNCG’s campus.

Don’t have supplies at home? No worries! You can also create your Wearable Cardboard Robot before the parade during the Science Everywhere Festival. Come to the Graham Building between 12 PM - 3 PM to use our supplies to create your robot. We will have everything you need - cardboard, string, hot glue, craft sticks, pipe cleaners…. Our expert cardboard engineers will help you create an awesome wearable robot!