Think Like a RobotInspiring STEM in all Students

Project Materials Purchased with Grant Money*• Miscellaneous supplies from Home Depot and Michaels

• $200• Robotic Arms from OWI

• 11 at $30 each• 1 at $70 each for robotic arms with teacher’s guide

• Robotic Hands from Yeager• 3 at $150 each (better deals available online)

*Estimates do not include shipping and handling fees

Objectives of 9-Week Curricular Unit

9-Week Curricular Unit with Extensions• Team Building Activity• Explore Engineering Design Process• Design “Home Made” Robotic Arm• Interview Prosthetic Expert• Customize Robotic Hand for

Competition• Assemble Robotic Arm• Think Like a Robot

Kick Off Activity

Kick Off Activity

• Marshmallow Challenge• Tom Wujec: Build a

tower, build a team• twenty sticks of

spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string and one marshmallow

TeachEngineering.orgCurricular Unit: Creative Engineering Design480 minutes of lessons on each step of the

design loop

Engineering Design Loop Introduction• Pre Test Activity available from TeachEngineering.org• Key Terms

• Constraints• design loop• Iterative• Prosthetic• Requirements• Target population

• Youtube video titled Engineering Design Process by NASASciFiles

Engineering Design Process Step 1:Identifying the NeedStudents complete an inventory worksheet to completely identify the need of a target population who requires a prosthetic or robotic arm.

Students complete a role reversal activity to put themselves in the shoes of the target population.

Engineering Design Process Step 2:Research the ProblemCodesPatentsStandardsUser Interviews

TryEngineering.orgBuild Your Own Robot Arm Lesson Plan, Student Worksheet, & Video

Engineering Design Process Step 3:Brainstorm

• 3" wide and approx. 22" long strips of cardboard• Binder clips (different sizes)• Brads• Clothespins• Craft sticks• Fishing line• Hangers• Paper clips (diff. Sizes)• Pencils• Rubber bands (different sizes)• Tape-- clear and masking• Twine• Various size scraps of cardboard• PVC Piping• Painter’s Paddles (all sizes)

Various materials from Home Depot and Michaels are laid out for students to see and consider for the construction of their “Home Made” Robotic Arm Prototype.

Engineering Design Process Step 3: BrainstormEnlightenedTrial-and-Error Succeeds Over The Planning of The Lone Genius

Engineering Design Process Step 4:Engineering AnalysisStudy Famous Engineering Design Failures like Titanic and Tacoma Narrows Bridgehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVc7oBKzq9U

Discuss computer aided design, dynamic analysis, and static analysis

Consider evaluation rubrics used to compare design alternatives

http://youtu.be/Y6hz_s2XIAUInspiring video on persevering no matter how many

times you have failed in life.

• Winston Churchill• Thomas Edison• U2• Lucille Ball• JK Rowling• Stephen King• Oprah Winfrey• Walt Disney• Steven Spielberg• RH Macy• Soichiro Honda• Colonel Sanders• Dick Cheney• Sir Isaac Newton• Vera Wang• Sidney Poitier

Engineering Design Process Step 5:Construct a PrototypeGiro Sunglass Design http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZdhsAx58tU

Rolls-Royce says it could soon use 3D printing to make parts for its passenger jet engines

The new technique could allow quicker and cheaper production

Students Get Creative & Construct Their ‘Home Made’ Robotic Arms

Assessments• Students are introduced to technical drawings/scale drawings as they learn to

communicate their designs.• After discussion of final step in Engineering Design Process which is Evaluate

and Manufacture a final product, students take a post test.• Students are assessed throughout the process through formal evaluations in

the form of worksheets , quizzes, presentations, summaries, journal entries, etc. Informal assessments take place on a daily basis to help students stay motivated an on-task.

ExtensionsOmnitron Electronics Robotic Arm Edge kits

Robotic/Bionic Hand kits from Yaeger Foundation

Additional Extensions• Learn to Solder Kits