[007 ☿] Dream a little dream

[waterfell]

[It's been a rainy dream, as Mizuno Ami (aged seven) walks home. Her backpack looks quite plump and full, probably due to the extra books she brings to have something to focus on during lunch

Comments

Late to the party?

[bot_builder]

[There's a tall gangly man all in black sitting on the swing next to you--was he there a moment ago?]

You have to put your whole body into it. Lean back when your legs go up, lean forward when your legs go down.

[bot_builder]

[The brain-building goes by relatively quickly.] That's all we can do without building the body. The final step is soldering the connecting wires to the motherboard and the different parts of the bot.

You can help with building the body. We're just screwing components together and into the chassis now.

[waterfell]

[Oh, this is good. Ami can handle the screwdriver - not very well, but well enough to get the job done. And it will let her feel like she had a part in building the bot.]

I can do it!

[bot_builder]

[He grins. It's great to have such an enthusiastic helper! He hands you a screwdriver and a wrench.] One for screws and one for nuts. Bolts can be screwed in by hand.

Let's start with the arms. That way we can make sure there's enough room inside for them to retract fully. [He gets the pieces for the two of you to work on.]

[waterfell]

One for screws, one for nuts. [She repeats it to make sure she has the instructions down. She takes the pieces carefully, tests them in her hands to make sure they're sturdy, and gets to work.]

[bot_builder]

[He nods approvingly. He keeps an eye on what you're doing, but aside from letting you know which parts get connected, he mostly lets you do your half of the work on your own. The body work is pretty simple, right?]

[waterfell]

[As long as she has clear instructions to follow, she can do anything! Ami screws up her face in concentration and pieces together the bot bit by bit. She can already hardly wait to show it off.]

[bot_builder]

[The bot's coming together nicely! You've done a good job so far.]

Alright, we should connect the brain to the bot's "nervous system." I should start the soldering. Do you want to help after I show you how it works? [His sense of child safety is great!]

[waterfell]

[Hey, she's allowed to use the oven at home. As long as she's careful. And she even has adult supervision right here! It's fine.]

Can I watch you first, please? I want to make sure I do it right.

[bot_builder]

Alright. Let me place the wires when it's your turn, to make sure you're connecting the right components.

The wires get set up like this, and you hold the soldering gun like this. [He demonstrates.] Oh yeah, that bit that does the soldering, that's really hot. Don't touch that. Learned that the hard way.

[waterfell]

[She holds the gun carefully once he gives her the chance to, lips pursed in concentration.]

I won't touch it. I'll be careful. [It turns out to be a bit much for her despite her reassurances, and the gun wavers dangerously in her hand.]

[bot_builder]

[He notices that this might not be working out. You're kind of his friend? Yes. So you hurting yourself at his instigation... probably a bad idea.]

That's probably a bit heavy for a kid. Tell you what, let me help you support it. [He reaches for the gun.]

[waterfell]

[With his hand to steady it, the work goes much easier. No danger of being hurt or burned now. Ami keeps working very earnestly, though she smiles quietly to herself. It feels like working on a project with Papa - something she'd really like to do some day.]

Thank you. It's working a lot better now, I think.

[bot_builder]

Great! Once we're done with this, we can paint it. I'll have to cover its eye sensors with something. Don't want to blind it.

[waterfell]

We can use paper. That way, the paint will only get on the paper if some spills.

[Ami leans back a little to admire her work so far. It's an accomplished feeling, seeing the end result start to take shape and knowing she had a hand in it. Knowing she made something.]

See you tomorrow :)

[bot_builder]

Yeah, paper'll work. Paint will definitely get on it though, because we're using spray paint. It's the only way to paint robots. It'll give the paint job a nice smooth finish.