Mechatronics Projects
Mechatronics is a branch of engineering that integrates mechanical, electrical, and robotics engineering to create dynamic systems. This course focuses on mechatronics fundamentals: building our understanding of circuits, programming, and robotics. We start the year in "mechatronics boot-camp", where we learn how circuits work. Students do this by getting some traditional instruction from the teacher, but mainly by using the provided electrical components to figure it out themselves.
After graduating "boot camp", having learned how to solder, make a complete circuit, and use 3D design software, students use these newfound skills to create working dynamic systems (robots!).
The Engineering Icebreaker
At the start of nearly every class, mechatronics students participate in a short (7-20 min) design challenge. This is a good way to get the engineering juices flowing; we take off our traditional learning caps and don our design thinking ones.
Examples of mechatronics icebreakers include: make a personal fanning device, light up an LED bulb, invent a way to grow food in Manhattan, and many more.
Class Projects
Quarter 1 Mechatronics Bootcamp
Robotic Bug
DIY Analog Clock
Quarter 2 Automotive Engineers: 3D Printed Car (11th)
Chess Board (12th)
Quarter 3 Coding (11th and 12th)
Microcontroller Systems (11th)
Quarter 4 Shark Tank (11th and 12th)
Quarter 1
Mechatronics Bootcamp
Before we can start making all the super cool robots and mechanisms we joined this class for, we have to get a handle on the basics! Students spend the first 4-5 weeks of class in "Mechatronics Bootcamp", where they learn engineering fundamentals. Training includes soldering wires, understanding what makes a circuit work, learning about the breadboard, and building simple machines (pulleys, ramps, gears).
Robotic Bug
This is our first robot project! Students build a bug that runs across the table and has light-up LED eyes. The body is made out of a clothespin, the legs are bent wire, and the bug is powered by a small 3V battery connected to a vibrating motor (like the one inside your cell phone!). Students figure out how to solder together 4 connections so that the power source can reach the motor and both of the bug's eyeballs.
DIY Analog Clocks
Students work alone to create a battery powered analog clock with a clear and cohesive theme. Everyone is provided with a blank, 30cm diameter wooden clock face and a kit containing hands and gears. Clockmakers can choose from wood, foam, 3D prints, wire, moss, pebbles, and paint to actualize their vision. Clocks can be more traditional, with 12 evenly spaced numbers and two hands, completely abstract with no numbers or even spacing, or anywhere in between -- as long as there is a clear theme!
Quarter 2
Automotive Engineers: 3D Printed Car
Students work in teams of two to design and build a motor-powered car. First, the car is designed to-scale on graph paper. Then, teams make a prototype of their car out of temporary materials (foam or cardboard). Next, students use TinkerCAD to 3D model and print the body of their car. Finally, the 3D body is assembled with the power source, motors, and wheels. Fastest car wins!
Chess Board
Our seniors work alone to create a custom, themed chess board and pieces. Students start by deciding on a theme; for example, if the theme was "Halloween", they might have a bat for a pawn, a witch for a queen, etc. Then they measure out 64 evenly spaced squares on a 12"x12" wooden board, and carefully painting each square and choosing color based on theme. Then, each piece is designed in TinkerCAD , and a test print is run to confirm the design before copies are printed. A chess tournament is held when all boards are completed!
Quarter 3
Coding and Microcontroller Systems
Juniors learn the Arduino coding language (based in Java). We start with purely coding projects (video game design, drawing digital images with code), then move on to coding for mechatronics. The microcontroller acts as a "middleman" for information from the computer to physical outputs. Students learn how to use code to produce a physical output: the fundamentals of robotics.
Quarter 4
Shark Tank
Just like the infamous TV series: York Prep STEAM students will go in front of a panel of "sharks" and present their inventions! This quarter-long project tasks engineers with producing a product from start to finish. They track their progress with weekly Gantt charts to meet deadlines, and must create physical prototypes.