Grade 9 Students Explore Building Robotic Arms

By Beth Alexander, Curriculum Lead, and STEM Teacher

The Grade 9 TEJ2O class has spent time this year learning how to build and test electronic circuits and coding interfaces with the Arduino micro-controller. Combining these skills with other manufacturing methods such as 3D printing and woodworking, the girls have been creating prototype robotic arms for a variety of purposes, such as conducting surgery remotely or rebuilding structures after a hurricane.

The projects incorporate a motor called a "servo" that can be controlled in different ways through coding, as well as a kind of switch called a potentiometer, or even input from a flex sensor, which can be worn in a glove. Each group has built the basic structures of their arms, and have incorporated the servos into their circuits (the number of servos depending on the number of movable joints needed in the robot), and are beginning the challenging process of troubleshooting issues in both hardware and software.

Stay tuned for our progress updates next term!