This STEM project will yield a moveable, anatomical robot hand that students can play and experiment with when completed.
Optional: Different colored string for every finger.
Have students trace their hand and wrist on card stock paper and cut it out using scissors. Ask them to trace their hand slightly larger than their actual hand so that the fingers are not too slim.
Ask the students to draw lines where the finger joints should be, using their own hands for guidance. Then, have them make folds at each joint/ line drawn, making sure the folds are all in the same direction.
Have the students cut the standard-sized straws, so there are three pieces for each finger and two for the thumb. Each piece should be slightly shorter than the distance between the joints, so there is some room between each piece of straw. Then ask them to cut one long piece of standard-sized straw for each finger and thumb (slightly shorter than the length of the palm of their hands).
Tape each small piece of straw in place so that there is one for each part of the finger. Tape the longer pieces so that one end of the straw is just below the third finger joint, and the other end is angled toward the center of the hand's palm.
Now, have them cut the large straw to be shorter than the length of their robot hand's wrist and tape it in the center.
Note for Step 3: Placement of the straws can get tricky; consider having an example ready to show students the correct straw placement. A large drawing of a robot hand at the front of the class will work, or you can get them to draw lines on their actual hands with a non-toxic felt pen to use as a guide.
Instruct the students to tape a piece of string to the back of each finger and the tip, then thread it through the straws corresponding with their respective fingers. All of the strings will meet at the center of the palm and go through the large-sized straw together.
Ask the students to pull on each string and observe each robot's finger movements.
Guide them through particular hand movements like counting on their fingers, making a fist, a peace sign, and a thumbs up.
When all exploration is finished, ask your students to write a short report of what they learned about their robot hand. Ask them to research real robot hands that are being created or are already in use.
Written by Taynne Wallace
Education World Contributor
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