Introduction

Do you know how vehicle brakes and steering systems work? Have you wondered how the crane lifts the heavy-duty equipment in the construction sites? These are but a few examples of the countless applications of hydraulic principles.

In this project, you will build your very own arm machine using cardboards and syringes applying hydraulic principles. This machine will illustrate how fluid pressure works. When you push the plunger of a movable syringe, water is forced into a second syringe, causing the arm machine to move to the side. When you pull on the plunger, the arm will slowly move back to its original position.

The first part of the project is to construct an arm pusher. The arm must push an object. Then, carefully measure the distance traveled by an object to determine the strength of the machine.

The next challenge is to add mechanisms to the arm pusher such as clippers, load boxes or buckets. You can also make the arm machine ascend and descend while lifting an object.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Assembling Tutorial