In Robotics class, students cover the six simple machines: lever, pulley, incline plane, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle. This knowledge will be used to teach the following unit. Robotics in the medical field will cover the following topics: minimally invasive robotic surgery, prosthetics, nanobots, and the mechanics of flagellum and bacterial motility. By understanding how simple machines are mimicked in nature and how robotics is advancing the medical field, students will have a deeper understanding of how robotics are becoming a part of our everyday lives. This will allow students to think outside the box when creating projects for this unit, future units, and their everyday lives.
Classroom lessons and activities include: how nature is mimicked in robotics, the history of prosthetics, and Da Vinci artist or machine.
How nature mimics robotic movement: In this lesson, students will learn about the topic of mechanics of flagellum and bacterial motility. Students will see how even things on the microscopic level use simple machines to create movement. Although there are no gears and motors as we think of from our own society, students will see how cells are made up to create movement. They will see the similarities from traditional motors to how these cells operated. This will then tie into the way nanobots are being created for use in the medial field.
History of prosthetics: Students will learn the history of prosthetics and see how technology has changed their use and the efficiency for people who need them. Students will look at current prosthetics and brainstorm how they could improve them. This can include material and/or design. Students will use hand drafts and digital designs to demonstrate their ideas to the class. Students will explain why they feel their design will improve the field of prosthetics. The student will back up their designs with research and facts that they have gathered for this lesson.
Da Vinci artist or machine: Students will learn about robotic surgery and how it has advanced the medial field and quality of life for people. Students will look at the machines used for robotic surgery, and then will identify the simple machines it is made up of and how these machines are put together to then create the robot that is used.
Teaching strategies will include acting out systems (using their bodies/movements to act out a system), cooperative learning, interdisciplinary teaching (pairing with math), daily reviews of previously learned material, teaching vocabulary throughout the unit, graphic organizers, hands on/ active participation, video/ visual graphs, problem solving instruction, and gamification (replacing traditional unit evaluation, such as tests and quizzes, with a game/competition to evaluate their created robot).
The unit will align to each of New Haven Public Schools 21
st
Century Competencies: Problem solving and critical thinking; creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; initiative, self-direction, and accountability; citizenship and responsibility; and access and analyze information.
Problem solving and critical thinking, creativity and innovation, and communication and collaboration will be use throughout the unit. It will be seen in all the activities in order for the students to create their own design and make modifications throughout the process.
Initiative, self-direction, and accountability, and citizenship and responsibility will be seen more in the group work sessions. Students will have to meet deadlines, give their peers feedback, and reflect on their own experiences.
