Overview:
This unit was originally designed to get students to explore the idea of locomotion. It was called “Move Without Wheels” and was based on a unit from LEGO’s Engineering and Design pack for EV3. The result I got from students was a lot of robots that used LEGO pieces to mimic wheels without actually using any. After a few attempts of even more narrowly defining what students were allowed to use, I went in another direction. I looked at all the robots on youtube that moved in the way I wanted my students’ robots to and saw that most of them utilized some sort of linkage. So I decided to start there and by teaching and requiring the use of linkages, I avoided the attempts to make a wheel that wasn’t a wheel. The current unit requires students to build a robot that uses linkages to move in a straight line for a minimum of two feet.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define animal locomotion and mechanical linkage
2. Build several linkages both attached and unattached to motors by following diagrams/directions
3. Design and build a robot that uses linkages to move
Instruction Guide:
Primary Instructional Material:
Differentiated Instruction Material: Extended:
EV3 Idea Book [3]
Differentiated Instruction Material: Supplemental:
Motor Animation [4]
Education Level:
Middle School [5]
High School [6]
Scope & Sequence:
Engineering [7]
Focus Subject:
HW Platform:
EV3 [11]
SW Platform:
Any [12]
Interactivity Style:
Mixed [13]
