A Helping Hand

Unit Driving Question

How can robotics be used to enhance our daily lives?

Challenge

To answer the questions "How can robotics be used to enhance our daily lives?", students explore the field of prosthetics and design their own prosthetic prototype.

Nationwide Prosthetics is looking for the next big advancement in prosthetics for humans and animals. Your team has been asked to design a prosthetic prototype hat showcases a new approach to the aesthetics or functionality of the prosthetic. Your finished prototype will be presented to an audience to gauge interest in the new idea.

Unit Introduction

Mechanical arms sound like a thing of the future. Cyborgs, exoskeletons, and a variety of robots can be seen in films such as The Terminator, Star Wars, Iron Man, and I, Robot. The addition of a mechanical limb to a human may still seem far-fetched unless you are one of the 2.1 million people in the U.S. who are missing a limb.

When someone loses a limb, what are their options for replacement? And what replacement allows them to get the most mobility back? Did a wooden pegleg or an iron hand come to mind? Those extremely outdated options were not very functional and were worn more to keep the look of the limb than for practical purpose.

The earliest example of a prosthesis ever discovered was actually a bit toe. This toe was found in Egypt and dated back somewhere between 950-710 B.C.E. If you think back to what you know about Egyptian fashion, you might remember that they wore sandals, hence the need for a big toe.

With technology advancements in the areas of 3D printing and biometrics, prosthetics are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Joints bend, hands grip, and feet can walk heel-to-toe.

In this unit students are going to be asked to explore the sense of touch, the nervous system, and the field of prosthetics. Before you begin the lessons, have students read this article written by Megan Gannon (Live Science) and watch this video about the science behind phantom limbs (TED-Ed). History Scope's video on "The History of Prosthetics Explained" could also be shown if there's time. This video will be presented again in Lesson 4.

Unit Sequence

2-4 sessions

(60 minutes each)

LESSON 1: Give Me A Hand

Driving Question: How is the Robotic Arm like a human arm? How is it different

Students explore the five senses through various hands-on activities. Students then build the Robotic Arm and run its sample code.

2-4 sessions

(60 minutes each)

LESSON 2: Hand It Over

Driving Question: How does gravity affect the Robotic Arm's ability to grasp and lift an object?

Students research the biomechanics of prosthetics and the science and technology involved. Using the Robotic Arm, with the sample code as inspiration, students complete a challenge.

3-4 sessions

(60 minutes each)

LESSON 3: A Smart Hand

Driving Question: How does the addition of a sensors make the Robotic Arm more human-like?

Students learn the history of prosthetics, focusing on the addition of sensors. Students investigate the sensors in the UKIT and redesign their Robotic Arm to include one sensor.

6-9 sessions

(60 minutes each)

LESSON 4: Put Your Hands Together

Driving Question: How can you use the engineering design process to build a prototype that contributes to the advancement of prosthetics?

Students work in groups to research advancements within the field of prosthetics. Students will use that research to build a prototype of a prosthetic using the steps of the engineering design process. Groups will present their final product to an audience.

1 session

(60 minutes)

Unit Wrap-up/Assessment

Driving Question: How can robotics be used to enhance our daily lives?

Students answer the driving question using the experiences they have had throughout the unit.

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