Constructing a Prosthetic Arm

Teacher Professional Development Fall Workshop

Dr. Michael Crocker, Asst. Professor of Computer Science & Engineering atPacific Lutheran University (PLU)

Leon Haskins, Math Scholars/Tutor Coordinator at Tacoma MESANathaniel Ward, Science/Technology Coordinator at Tacoma MESA

Overview

• Overview of Challenge– Focus Areas for Challenge– Challenge Tasks

• Engineering Design Process• Prosthetic Arm Build Examples• Build Your Own and Test It• Oral Presentation of Design and Results

Focus Areas For Challenge

• Grasping mechanism• Versatility of use• Simultaneous strength and dexterity• Detail-oriented manual tasks

Challenge TasksDistance Accuracy Relay: Accurate throwing different sized balls into

different bucketsObject Relocation: Move many objects of different weights into a containerDexterity: Fasten nuts/bolts using a wrench

Engineering Design Process

• Identifying the problem• Brainstorming possible solutions• Designing a prototype• Building/Manufacturing• Testing• Evaluating• Writing a final summary/report

Redesigning

Prosthetic Arm Build Examples

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Three Example Design Ideas

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The Claw!The Pringle Finger! The Scissor Grip!

Teacher Modification ExamplesArms created at teacher workshop in July!

The Claw?The Pringle Finger? The Scissor Grip?

Supplies

All designs contain a 4” Plastic pipe sleeve with handle to which the full apparatus is attached. NOTE, the handle is not legal for use in competition.

• Within Each Kit There are the Following:• Materials• Instructions

• Tools Available• Extra Supplies Available

Now It Is Your Turn• Build Your Own and Test It

– Approximately 2hrs• Start your design based on one of the prototypes

– Make improvements– Practice the tasks– Redesign if needed– Test > Compete > Brag > Trash talk > Repeat

– Oral Presentation of Design and Results• 40 minutes total / 5 minutes for each group• Summary of design and its effectiveness• Possible future improvements• Feedback to us on this experience

– How would students react to this activity?– Would this be a useful starting point for the challenge?

Oral Presentation: What to Cover

• What brainstorming ideas did your group come up with?

• Which ideas did you try to implement?• How did you evaluate your design?• How successful was your design?• What are some future improvements?• How could this activity and approach help

your students design for the challenge?