Education Technology


DIY Mood Ring with TI-Innovator™

Activity Overview

In this TI-Innovator™ STEM project, students are given the challenge to design and build a digital mood ring using a pipe cleaner and a temperature sensor. This project is compatible with the TI-Nspire CX or TI-84 Plus CE handhelds. 

About the Lesson

Students will bring science and coding together as they create their own mood ring! In this STEM project using the TI-Innovator™ Hub, students will learn basic coding skills, explore color mixing, and experiment with body temperature ranges as they work to write a program that will display a mood, based on the changing temperature of their finger. Note there are two alternative approaches (provided in the download section) for doing the project with students:

  • "Project Materials" versions offer the most comprehensive approach, where teachers will find additional background on both coding and science concepts, and these materials also include a classroom presentation PowerPoint for teacher use. 
  • "By Challenges" versions offer a shorter, streamlined approach to the project. Students are presented with a series of smaller tasks that eventually lead toward the final challenge. Check out both versions, and decide which approach is best for you and your class! 
Note: This project is an introductory level project appropriate for middle and high school students. It is considered the entry point for the “STEM Projects using TI-Innovator™ Technology”. It is strongly suggested that if your students do not have much familiarity with coding on the TI calculator, they start with this project to build skills and confidence, and then progress to more complex projects like the Pet Car Alarm, or Smart Water. Students will work through several 10 Minutes of Code lessons in this project.