This DIY robot was fun to make and surprisingly easy to make. It went off without a hitch, except for cutting the toothbrush end off.
My husband came up with an ingenious way to use friction and heat while bending it back and forth with pliers to cut it. My son trimmed the rough edge with scissors (not really necessary) and then we started the project.
Brush Bots: Turn a Toothbrush into a Robot!
- cell phone vibrating motor
- toothbrush (used is fine)
- 3-volt battery (we used these for our Homopolar Motor project)
- double sided foam tape
- small rubber band
- glue
- scissors
- decorations (googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms)
It might seem hard to find a cell phone vibrating motor, but I found one at Amazon. 5 pieces for $6.
The 3 volt battery is the flat lithium kind. 2 for $1.50 at Amazon.
These are our few hints to build your Brush Bot:
- Make sure the red wire is touching double stick tape and the blue wire to the side.
- The positive side of the battery faces down.
- Now put blue wire on top.
- Tape down.
- Decorate. The decorations help balance the Brush Bot.
Create a maze for your Brush Bot too using a cardboard box.
This science project is from Monsanto Online Engagement: Vimeo.com/MonsantoSTEM/BrushBots.
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Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
- ⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
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- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
- Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
Free and downloadable guide:
Barbed Wire Between Us Teacher’s Guide
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- California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco:
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025
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We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- 2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
- Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
- Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
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Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
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- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
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Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
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Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Nice balancing work! We had trouble getting ours to stay upright when we made one of these a while back.
Hi MaryAnne,
It only balanced when we stuck the decorations on it though we had to decorate it based on weight distribution! I was surprised by how easy and fun this project was to do. Usually, the science experiments turn out to be a lot harder to execute than it seems.
Thanks for the links to the motors and batteries! I’ve been wanting to do this experiment with my boys but didn’t know what size motors and batteries to buy. Pinned
Hi Mother of 3,
The motor is surprisingly easy to buy and the size battery makes a huge difference. Of course, our issue was cutting off the brush part of the toothbrush. Hopefully, you will have an easier time.