01 — Explore PetBot’s Behaviors

Starter code that lets students interact with Roversa’s buttons and explore how different activities affect PetBot’s wellbeing. Students press buttons, observe PetBot’s reactions, and discover cause-and-effect relationships between digital/physical activities and wellbeing.

Try It

Press Edit to open in MakeCode, or Run to try it in the simulator right here:

Open in MakeCode

What the Code Does

The program maps each Roversa button to a different activity. When PetBot starts, it initializes with roversaPetBot.start() and waits for input:

Input	Button	Action	What PetBot Does
Forward (P13)	⬆️	goRun()	PetBot goes for a run
Reverse (P14)	⬇️	goSleep()	PetBot goes to sleep
Right turn (P15)	↪️	textFriend()	PetBot texts a friend
Stop (P9)	⏹️	scrollSocialMedia()	PetBot scrolls social media
Left turn (P16)	↩️	playGame(1, -10)	PetBot plays a video game
Menu (P5)	⚪	showStats()	Shows PetBot’s current wellbeing stats
Logo touch	—	wakeUp(0, Neutral)	Wakes PetBot up (neutral mood)
Screen face-down	—	wakeUp(-10, Surprised)	Wakes PetBot up (surprised, wellbeing drops)

Each activity affects PetBot’s internal wellbeing differently — some activities boost it, others lower it. Students can check the current state at any time using showStats().

Code

roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P13, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.goRun()
})
roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P14, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.goSleep()
})
roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P15, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.textFriend()
})
roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P9, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.scrollSocialMedia()
})
roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P16, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.playGame(1, -10)
})
roversa.onEvent(RoversaPin.P5, RoversaEvent.Click, function () {
    roversaPetBot.showStats()
})
input.onLogoEvent(TouchButtonEvent.Pressed, function () {
    roversaPetBot.wakeUp(0, Emotion.Neutral)
})
input.onGesture(Gesture.ScreenDown, function () {
    roversaPetBot.wakeUp(-10, Emotion.Surprised)
})
roversaPetBot.start()

How to Use in a Lesson

Exploration (~20 min): Students try each button and document their observations on an observation sheet — what happened, how PetBot’s face changed, what they think it means for wellbeing.

Tip: Point students to the face as a quick feedback loop: “Look at your robot — how is it feeling right now? What did you do that changed its face?”

Discussion (~15 min): Use the observation sheets as evidence to discuss:

• Which PetBot responses surprised you? What relationships did you notice between different buttons and PetBot’s wellbeing?
• What evidence shows a cause-and-effect relationship between a button press, PetBot’s behavior, and a change in wellbeing?
• How do PetBot’s programmed responses show that digital activities and everyday choices can affect wellbeing in different ways?

After discussion, share the PetBot Wellbeing Behavior Key so the class can compare results. Emphasize that the goal is not to get the “right” answer, but to use evidence from testing to identify patterns.

• How did your observations compare to the Behavior Key? What matched, and what did you notice differently?
• What patterns do you see in how PetBot was programmed to respond to different kinds of activities?
• What does this model suggest about digital wellbeing, balance, and everyday choices — and what are its limits as a model of real human wellbeing?

Concepts Covered

• Cause and effect through hands-on testing
• Observation and evidence-based reasoning
• Digital wellbeing and balanced technology use
• Event-driven programming (buttons trigger actions)