Build a Robot Arm

thingiverse

As a result of this activity, students will develop an understanding of design concepts. They will learn to work together as a team to build a robot arm out of the materials provided. The robot arm must be at least 12 inches in length and able to pick up an empty Styrofoam cup. Designing the robot arm requires teamwork, trial, and error. There is no "right" answer to the problem - each team's creativity will likely generate a unique design from others developed in the class. Students should agree on a design for the robot arm and identify what materials will be used. They should draw a sketch of their agreed-upon design prior to construction. Standards for this lesson include National Science Education Standards Grades 5-8 (ages 10 – 14) CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science, Motions and forces, Transfer of energy. Also included are National Science Education Standards Grades 9-12 (ages 14 – 18), CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science, Motions and forces, Interactions of energy and matter, and CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology, Abilities of technological design, Understandings about science and technology. To prepare for this lesson, the following supplies are needed: * Various printed appendage pieces * A few dozen connector pins * Rubric and Assessment Assessment will be done through reflective questions such as: What was one thing you liked about your design? What is its main weakness? What is one thing you would change about your design based on your experience? Are there algebraic and physical principles that can be applied to this activity? How would you modify the instructions to create a better experience for the participants? References include TryEngineering (www.tryengineering.org), Design Your Own Robot (www.mos.org/robot/robot.html), FIRST Robotics Competition (www.usfirst.org), ITEA Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (www.iteaconnect.org/TAA), NSTA National Science Education Standards (www.nsta.org/publications/nses.aspx), NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (http://standards.nctm.org), and Robot Books (www.robotbooks.com).