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Can You Beat a Robot at Tic Tac Toe?

Tic-Tac-Toe is a classic game, but when it’s played by the Niryo Ned2, a 6-axis robotic arm, it becomes something much more. Designed for education and research, the Ned2 transforms this simple game into a hands-on demonstration of robotics concepts like vision processing, decision-making, and real-time control.

In this project, the Ned2 is fitted with a camera mounted on its wrist, giving it the ability to see. Once the workspace is calibrated, the robot can recognize the board layout and locate game pieces using visual data. The setup includes two sets of colored pawns, which the robot picks and places using a vacuum gripper. The robot captures an image, identifies the positions of the pawns, and maps this information onto a 3×3 digital grid that represents the current state of the game.

One of the standout features of this system is that you can adjust the difficulty level of the robot. Beginners can face a more relaxed opponent that plays randomly or with limited strategy, while more advanced users can test their skills against a version that plays nearly flawlessly. This flexibility makes the Ned2 a great fit for users at all levels, from beginners to advanced programmers.

Once the robot decides on its move, it picks up a game piece using a vacuum gripper and places it carefully in the selected cell. After each human turn, the process repeats. The robot takes a new image, updates its internal board, plans the next move, and takes action. This ongoing loop brings together all parts of the robotics pipeline, combining sensing, planning, and physical action in a way that is easy to observe and understand.

What makes this application especially impactful is how it connects theory to practice. Students can immediately see how their programming choices affect the robot’s actions, giving them a clear, real-world view of how code drives behavior.

Of course, some players might be tempted to test the robot’s limits by bending the rules. But be warned: if you try to cheat, the Ned2 might notice. And if it does, you may be in for a surprise.

Beyond its educational purpose, the Tic-Tac-Toe demo is simply fun to watch. Seeing a robot compete in a familiar game captures attention and encourages users to tweak the system, explore new strategies, or even build their own versions. See all the different scenarios and outcomes here!

By blending simplicity with technical depth, the Niryo Ned2 turns a childhood game into a powerful robotics learning platform. Whether you’re teaching, experimenting, or just curious, it offers an accessible and creative way to explore how machines interact with the world.

PASCO – End-of-Year Equipment Care

Final Greenhouse Update

Our final week of being Interns at AYVA Educational Solutions has come! With this ending comes also the finish of our greenhouse experiment. If you’ve read our previous blog post, you know that our first batch of saltwatered tomatoes died very efficiently. They were black and shriveled within a week of sprouting and being watered with salt water. Not a hopeful start to our experiment. However, we maintained hope and pushed forward, replanting our seeds in the red pot.

While death was going on in the red pot, we had life in the purple pot. Lush leaves, consistent growth, good CO2 uptake. The three beautiful sprouts were jiving and thriving under the care of filtered water and scheduled LED light. What more could a plant want? Oh how good they had it. 

Fast forward a couple weeks. The scene is: Three healthy tomato plants in the purple pot and two stunted, barely-growing tomato plants in the red pot. We decided there was no hope with our sad, wilty babies. This required a hard sacrifice. In order to truly test the effects, we needed healthy tomato plants to perform our reign of salt water terror upon. We looked over at our healthy, thriving tomato plants in the purple pots and then to our half dead plants in the red pots. In our hearts, we knew sacrifices must be made in the name of science. Armed with our deadly spray bottle loaded with salt water, we accosted our beautiful tomato sprouts knowing it would ultimately be their death.

Over the next few days, we watched our prized tomato sprouts droop, continuing to measure their growth (or lack thereof). We quickly concluded that salt water is not good for plants.

Greenhouse Update

Unfortunately, after three weeks of waiting, our last batch of seeds only sprouted one plant. While this tomato shoot is still alive and well, it is not a sufficient number of plants to do a basic science experiment with. So we replanted our seeds, watered them diligently, and waited a mere week for 4 plants to germinate. 2 tomato seedlings in each pot. 

Once the seedling had a week to get settled, we began our salt water treatment. The plants in the red pot received salt water, while the plants in the purple pot received tap water. Just 2 weeks after germination and 1 week after beginning the salt water treatment, our dear red potted sprouts are exhibiting symptoms of death. The tell-tale signs include drooping, shriveling, blackening of the leaves. Overall they seemed to lack water and the will to live. 

So how can this be? From what we have observed, it looks as though the salt water treatment overall has more moist soil, but the plants appear to be lacking water. Due to a disruption in osmosis, we hypothesize that the roots of our tomato plants in the salt water treatment are not able to absorb enough water to conduct the biological processes they require to live.

Today, a short week since the beginning of our salt water reign of terror, we arrived at the office to a startling sight. Both seedlings in the red pot, dead. With misty eyes we removed them from their home and planted their replacements. Having learned that salt water does not serve one week old seedlings well, we will try waiting an extra week to see if there is an improvement in our tomato seedlings performance. 

 

PASCO Greenhouse Tomatoe Experiment

Just last week we (Sam and Emma-Grace, interns here at AYVA) planted tomato seeds! Both of us study Environmental Science, so we chose to write our co-op report on the growth of these tomato plants. AYVA is a proud partner with PASCO and is well set up with the right equipment to make conducting this growth experiment a breeze. 

Two PASCO Sense and Control Greenhouse kits are being used to examine the effects of saline water on tomato plant health. With rising concerns about freshwater availability, we felt this study was especially applicable. Given the world’s growing population, there’s an increasing emphasis on researching creative ways to grow food to feed everyone.

One greenhouse is being watered with saline water and the other greenhouse with filtered tap water. Over the next two months, we will track the health of our tomato plants by testing various measurements including: 

  • CO2 using PASCO’s Wireless CO2 Sensor
  • The conductivity of soil using PASCO’s Wireless Conductivity Sensor
  • Soil pH using PASCO’s Wireless pH Sensor
  • Leaf size
  • Number of leaves
  • Plant height
  • Colour of leaves using PASCO’s

To create consistent conditions, we have determined an optimal light schedule with an ideal light ratio of 7:3 (Red:Blue) which we coded using SPARKvue.This consistency will reduce experimental bias. We’ve also reduced bias through blind watering. This means we do not know which spray bottle has the salt water treatment and which has the fresh water treatment. When our experiment is completed, Rhonda will reveal which group of tomato plants was under which treatment. 

We’re excited to explore how CO2 levels are influenced by the addition of saline water. Elevated CO2 enhances photosynthesis, boosting sugar and nutrient production while also improving water use efficiency. By examining the combined effects of CO2 and salt, we aim to gain a more in-depth understanding of the effects of saline water on tomato plants. 

We are brainstorming names for our future sprouts. If you have any name suggestions, let us know!

PASCO Launches New Wireless Sensors at BETT 2016 in the UK

AYVA had the pleasure of joining PASCO to take part in their exhibit at BETT 2016. The trip to London England featured PASCO’s new Wireless Sensor line including Temperature, pH, Pressure, Force and Smart Cart Sensors.

Check them out in action: PASCO Wireless

The biggest hit was by far the Wireless Smart Cart. Chris Butlin from Physics Education wrote; “We liked your new range of wifi sensors, particularly the Smart Cart which we feel will be a best seller for you.”

Wireless Smart Cart Features BETT 2016

How to Handle, Store, and Repair Microscope Slides

Carolina™ prepared microscope slides provide an essential component for the in-depth study of botany, zoology, histology, embryology, parasitology, genetics, and pathology. After receiving your slides, proper care will keep them in good condition and make them last as long as possible. In the following paragraphs, we’ll discuss the handling, storage, and repair of prepared slides.

Handling

Teach students proper slide handling and slides can be used year after year. Slides should be held by the edges, avoiding the cover glass area. Always begin viewing a slide using the microscope’s lowest magnification. This reduces the risk of contact by the microscope’s objective lens. Afterwards, switch to a higher magnification if needed.

Keep the microscope’s objective lens and other objects from coming into contact with a slide. Pressure on the cover glass can cause it to break or loosen. When finished viewing, remove the slide from the microscope and place it in its storage container. Leaving the slide on the illuminated stage for extended periods of time can cause fading and other damage.

When slides get soiled, you can clean them with soapy water or isopropyl alcohol. Do not immerse slides in water or soak them in it. This loosens the cover glass adhesive, causing the cover glass to come off and possibly ruin the slide.

Storage

To keep your prepared microscope slides in good condition, always store them in a container made for the purpose and away from heat and bright light. The ideal storage area is a cool, dark location, such as a closed cabinet in a temperature-controlled room. Stained slides naturally fade over time. Keeping them in a cool, dark location helps slow down the process.

Slides should be kept horizontal (flat) with the specimen side up. If they are stored on edge, the cover glass or specimen may shift out of position. Take care not to stack slides on top of one another or apply pressure to the cover glass.

Repair

Common problems include a broken slide or cover glass, bubbles in the mounting agent, and specimens shifted to the edge of the cover glass. If a slide or cover glass is broken, dispose of it and replace it immediately to prevent anyone from being cut. The adhesive used to attach a cover glass to a slide is applied as a liquid. As the liquid dries, it only hardens around the edges of the cover glass. With rough handling this seal can crack or loosen, allowing the liquid to ooze out. You can fix a broken seal by applying a small amount of fresh mounting media to the break. Clear nail polish sometimes works if you don’t have any mounting media handy.

Most slide repairs require some amount of skill. Often it is easier and more cost effective to replace the slide rather than to repair it.

Testing the Air Quality at AYVA with PASCO’s Wireless Air Quality Sensor

Today we tested out PASCO’s new Air Quality Wireless Sensor. Using this sensor, we were able to determine the temperature, humidity, particulate matter, VOC’s, and levels of ozone and nitrous oxide present. We tested the air quality of four different environments. First inside AYVA’s office, then directly outside the office, behind a car while it is running, and inside a car while it is running. 

In all of these runs ozone and nitrous oxide levels were found to be 0 ppm. Ozone and nitrous oxide can be very dangerous so we were happy to see no evidence of it in all four environments. 

We can also see that the temperature was much higher for the runs inside and outside of the office, compared to the runs inside and outside of the running car which is likely due to the sensor being in a shaded area when outside.

We noticed that the humidity is lowest inside both the office and the running car, which is likely due to the air conditioning in both spaces. The humidity outside is much higher since there is no air conditioning or ventilation, therefore readings 2 and 3 had much higher relative humidity percentages.

Analyzing the VOC graph, it is clear that VOC levels in the air were heavily influenced when placing the sensor directly outside the exhaust of a running car, which makes sense considering the large levels of carbon dioxide being emitted. Since air conditioning can also affect VOC levels, runs 1 and 3 were not very stable. However, run 2 remained relatively stationary, as there was no air conditioning of fumes interfering with any organic compounds in the air.

The particulate matter levels were highest during run 3 where the sensor was placed behind a running car and the lowest during run 2 where the sensor was placed just outside of the office. This makes sense because the exhaust from the car would have more particulate matter than the air outside. Inside the office and car there was some particulate matter probably due to the air conditioning. 

Using the Air Quality Sensor with these experiments, we were able to get a better understanding of different factors that affect air quality, such as humidity, VOCs and particulate matter.

What Are Owl Pellets?

owl pellets

See what you can learn about birds by studying the pellets they leave behind.

Most birds cannot chew their food, and owls are no exception. Owls usually swallow their prey whole. Owls differ from other species of birds because they do not have a crop, the baglike organ used to store food after it has been swallowed so that it can be digested later. In owls, food passes directly from the mouth to the gizzard. The gizzard is an organ that uses digestive fluids and bits of sand and gravel to grind and dissolve usable tissue from the prey.

The types of tissue that can be dissolved by an owl’s digestive system include muscle, fat, skin, and internal organs. These tissues are broken down into a variety of nutritional substances by the owl’s gizzard and intestines. Some of these tissues (e.g., fur and bones) cannot be digested. The digestible material, along with other waste collected throughout the body, is ejected from the vent, which is the combination reproductive and excretory opening in birds. The pasty white excrement is known as urea. It is rich in nitrogen and similar to urine in mammals, only thicker.

What happens to the indigestible material?

Indigestible material left in the gizzard such as teeth, skulls, claws, and feathers are too dangerous to pass through the rest of the owl’s digestive tract. To safely excrete this material, the owl’s gizzard compacts it into a tight pellet that the owl regurgitates. The regurgitated pellets are known as owl pellets.

Owl pellets are useful to researchers because they can find out quite a bit about an owl’s lifestyle through careful examination of the pellet’s contents. Since most of the prey’s bones are not actually broken during the attack and the subsequent digestion process, they can be readily identified in the pellet. Most pellets include a skull or skulls, which makes identification of the prey relatively simple. If an owl consumes multiple prey in a short period of time, it forms one large pellet from the remains.

Large owls are obviously capable of making large pellets. However, since large owls do not always eat large prey, one cannot always determine the size of the owl that left a given pellet solely based on the size of the pellet. In addition, a startled owl may eject a pellet that is not fully compacted, thereby giving the pellet a larger appearance than normal. Other species of birds such as hawks and eagles produce pellets, but they are smaller and contain fewer animal parts than those produced by owls.

Skulls and other bones can be found during an owl pellet dissection.

Storing and regurgitating pellets

An owl pellet generally reaches its final form a few hours after the owl has eaten. However, the pellet is not usually ejected immediately after it is formed. Owls can store a pellet in a structure known as the proventriculus for as long as 20 hours before disgorging it. Since the stored pellet partially blocks the entrance to the digestive system, it must be ejected before the owl can eat again. Young owls do not produce pellets until they have begun to eat their prey whole.

The actual process of regurgitating a pellet lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. The pellet is forced out by spasms of the owl’s esophagus. These spasms make the owl look like it is coughing painfully. However, it is not hurt by the process because the pellet remains soft and moist until it leaves the owl’s body.

Identifying pellets

The shape and texture of a given owl pellet depends on the species of the owl that produced it and the type of prey that the owl consumed. Some pellets are tightly compacted, oval, and furry. Others are loosely compacted with an irregular shape. Pellets are moist when they are first ejected, but quickly dry out and start to decompose once they leave the owl’s body. Owl pellets are typically found near places where owls perch, such as under trees and near barns.

Barn Owl pellets are typically medium sized, smooth, cylindrical, and dark. The tiny Elf Owl has a very small pellet that is dry and loosely compacted, a result of its largely insect diet. The Great Horned Owl can produce pellets that are 3 to 4 inches long. These pellets are usually cylindrical and tightly compacted. The exterior of the pellet can vary greatly due to the vast array of prey that Great Horned Owls consume.

Owl pellet dissection resources

An owl pellet dissection gives students a glimpse into the life of an animal they may never see in the wild. Pellets tell us what the owl eats, where it is likely to roost, what small mammals live nearby, and even the relative proportions of those animals. Safe owl pellet dissections can build toward several NGSS standards across grade levels.

 

Storage and Disposal of Preserved Specimens

Easy. Reliable. Secure.

Many dissection labs can spread across multiple class periods and days at a time. Whether you’re looking to preserve specimens for only a few months or a much longer period, Carolina has you covered.

Vacuum-packed specimens

Vacuum-packed specimens are stored in vacuum-sealed, leak-proof plastic barrier bags. Specimens are offered as either single-packed (one specimen per bag) or bulk-packed (more than one specimen per bag). Single-packed bags are easy to distribute to students in small groups, while bulk-packed bags are ideal for teachers looking to use more than one specimen at once. Quantity discounts are only available for bulk-packed bags. 

In order to retain moisture of the specimens and fend off mold growth, Carolina’s Wetting Solution can be used between dissection labs. After spraying specimens with the solution, they can be returned to the vacuum-sealed bags and sealed with clips or rubber bands. This bag can be placed within a second resealable bag for added protection.

Disposal Methods

Disposal of specimens has never been easier than with Carolina’s Perfect Solution®. However, before disposing of any specimens or fluids, it is advised to contact local waste or wastewater authorities to confirm that the disposal procedure is acceptable at your school. It is also important to address disposal with a supervisor if your school contains its own septic system or aerobic waste treatment system.

Specimens stored in Carolina’s Perfect Solution® can generally be disposed of in a school’s regular waste. These specimens do not fall under hazardous waste and do not pose a biohazardous threat. It is recommended to double bag any specimens that are being disposed of as an additional precaution.

Fluids involved in pails containing Carolina’s Perfect Solution® can be put down the sink and washed down with lots of water. The fluid is not classified as chemical waste.

It is still important to wear appropriate PPE when disposing of Carolina specimens and fluids, including gloves, an apron, and splash goggles, and to work in a well ventilated area.

 

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