Welcome to Day 4!
Welcome to Day 4 of To the Moon & Beyond Summer Camp. You’re over halfway through this camp and we hope you’re enjoying it and learning a lot. So far we’ve launched our expedition by creating a mission patch, explored our solar system, learned how to safely land and live on a new planet, created textiles to keep us safe and started to learn about coding! Whew… that’s a lot!
We learned a little about coding yesterday because that’s the language of computers and robots. Robotics are an incredibly valuable resource as we begin to explore our universe further.
So, let’s get computing!
Credit: NASA
Getting Started!
Dull, Dangerous, Dirty: Robots in Space
When you think of robots in space, you probably think of one of these guys:
Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.
R2D2 - Star Wars
Credit: Disney Pixar
WALL-E
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Iron Giant
But the robots being developed by NASA come in all shapes and sizes. Take remotely operated vehicles (ROV), for example. Most people have probably seen these robots on the news, roaming harsh desert landscapes in warzones. Humans operate these robots using remote controls and long-transmission radio waves. Why are they so useful? Well, these space robots withstand extreme temperature and endure high levels of radiation. Remember the Mars Rover we talked about yesterday?
These robots are perfect for exploring other planets because they can endure harsh atmospheric conditions. Plus, they do things that are just too dull, dirty, or dangerous for humans.
An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Dull
There are a lot of repetitive and tedious tasks robots are uniquely qualified for. When they take care of these, it frees up the human workforce to focus on more creative and interesting pursuits.
Dirty
There are dirty jobs, most of which the average human doesn’t really know about, that just need to get done to keep our world functioning.
Dangerous
Robots can be and are designed to perform tasks that would put humans in jeopardy. Like exploring a planet with extreme weather conditions or examining a nuclear power plant after an accident.
Learn more about what humanoid robots are capable of and how they are shaping the way we explore space!
GM and NASA Take Giant Leap in Robotic Technology.mp4GM and NASA Take Giant Leap in Robotic Technology
Sandeep Yahathi, Robotics Engineer
NASA_s Space-Digging RASSOR Robot.mp4NASA's Space-Digging RASSOR Robot
The Duel- Timo Boll vs. KUKA Robot.mp4The Duel- Timo Boll vs. KUKA Robot
Through today’s activities, we’ll begin to explore how robots are designed and then build one!
STEM@HOME Challenge: Design a Bionic Hand
This activity was adapted from ESA: https://www.esa.int/Education/Teachers_Corner
JPL researchers were inspired by gecko feet, such as the one shown here, in designing a gripping system for space. Just as a gecko's foot has tiny adhesive hairs, the JPL devices have small structures that work in similar ways. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Bionics is the application of designs and concepts from nature to the development of systems and technology. In medicine, bionics allows the replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by human-engineered versions. For example bionic prostheses allow people with disabilities to recover some abilities. Another example of bionics are humanoid robots which imitate the aspect and functioning of humans.
Credit: Shutterstock
Systems aboard the International Space Station were designed for human use, so having a robot that can operate like a human is important. One important component of a humanoid robot is a bionic hand. Bionic hands allow robots to manipulate objects made for human use. The astronauts will benefit from bionic hands because manipulation of objects in the vacuum of space through the gloves of a spacesuit is very fatiguing. ESA has developed the DEXHAND bionic hand to be used by robots and possibly by astronauts .
Now let’s build our own bionic hand out of cardboard!
Before you get started, think about:
What tasks and movements can be done by the human hand?
Examine your own hand. Pay attention to how and where it moves.
What structures are found in the human hand?
How do the parts of the human hand work together to complete a task?
How can engineers develop an artificial hand that mimics the human hand?
Credit: DigitalEU
Materials Needed:
Tape
Scissors
Cardboard paper or cardstock paper
Standard drinking straws
Smoothie straw or bigger diameter straw
Yarn or twine
Credit: Field Library Frog Blog
Instructions:
Trace your hand on a cardboard or cardstock paper.
Cut the traced hand out (cutting it a little bigger than the actual tracing).
Mark your finger joints on the cutout by drawing straight or curved lines across each finger. Look at your own hand to see where the joints should be drawn on your model.
Fold the fingers at the lines.
Cut smaller straws to size (leave a little gap between the lines to facilitate in threading the yarn).
Tape straw pieces to the hand.
Thread yarn through the straw pieces. Each finger will have a length of yarn of its own. (Hint: if you have trouble threading the yarn through the straws, you can wrap tape around the end of the yarn to make it easier - similar to the plastic tip of a shoelace.)
Thread all five pieces of yarn through the bigger straw.
Now experiment by pulling on one or multiple strings to cause the hand to close. Compare your model to your own hand. How are they similar and how are they different? In a human hand, the brain sends signals to muscles and tendons which contract to move the fingers. In your model, the string represents the tendons and, when pulled, cause the fingers to move.
Now try to do every day tasks with your bionic hand. Can you pick up a pencil with the bionic hand? Creating a robot that can function like a human with the same amount of dexterity is very challenging!
Think about:
What items can you pick up with your robotic hand?
What would happen if you added more fingers?
What would happen if you took out a finger?
Why is it difficult to pick up certain items with your robotic hand?
Credit: Hack Room
STEM Challenge: Vibration Bot
Activity sourced from Finkbuilt: http://www.finkbuilt.com/blog/kids-art-bot/
Let’s practice creating a robot that could do a simple task for you, like draw a picture!
Materials Needed:
Disposable cup or clean, empty soup can
Tape
3-4 felt-tipped pens
2 AA batteries
1 small toy motor
Pencil eraser
Switched battery holder
View the activity directions here:
Credit: Finkbuilt