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Empathy in Motion: Designing Robotic Solutions with Periodic Behavior
How can understanding periodic motion help us design a robotic arm that assists someone with a repetitive task?
Learning Intentions:
Connect circular and periodic motion to robotic arms while exploring key mathematical concepts—specifically the unit circle and the concept of radians—that will underpin our design work.
Identify a real user and brainstorm repetitive tasks that could be solved with a robotic arm.
Develop empathy-based interview questions.
Estimate and sketch angles in real-world motion.
Understand how to use the station rotation guide/flowchart for self-directed learning.
Today's Concept:
Yesterday, we saw that robots move in cycles. Today, we ask: Whose cycles?
Engineering isn't about building cool gadgets in a void. It's about solving problems for people. Before we learn the math to control the robot, we have to understand the person we are helping. You are no longer just students; you are design engineers. You need to start to understand your users' world, the repetitive tasks that exhaust them, and how a robot you design, powered by trigonometry, could change their lives.
What do you notice about the arm’s motion? Is it periodic? How could this kind of motion help someone in real life?
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Who do you know who does a repetitive task? What’s difficult or tiring about it?
Who could benefit from a robotic arm that moves back and forth?
Empathy Questions Directions
In pairs, pick one user from the list
Write down the user name.
What kind of task does this person need help with?
Why is this task challenging or tiring for them?
How could a robotic arm help make this easier?
Write three open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered by yes or no).
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