Making More Stuff: Making Stuff Wilder

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Click to see the SCSU CRISP Module Template used by CCSA for improving and updating the CRISP demos and kits. Each kit page offers a CRISP developed teacher module and CRISP aligned standards (both NGSS and CCSS)

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Nature is an amazing place to find design inspiration. From robotic mules to swarms of robotic bees, scientists and engineers are using the natural world as inspiration for the “wildest” new inventions. Will the stuff of the future soon take on a life of its own?
Adapted from Making More Stuff: Wilder by NOVA via the Making More Stuff project

Subject(s):

Mechanics, Technology and Society, Biomimicry

Objectives:

Students will design and create a single “eagle toe” out of various materials
Students will test the motion control and strength of the “eagle toe”

Materials in this kit:

• 6” piece of 1/4” plastic tubing
• 12” length of dowel rod, 1/4” in diameter
• Plastic straws
• Electrical tape, 1/4” wide
• Small paper clip
• 12” piece of nylon line
• Ping-pong balls
• Ruler
• Permanent marker
• Utility knife

Suggestions for the Teacher:

Things to talk about:

• What does “wild” mean to you
• Can you name things that you might encounter in your daily life that are wild?
• What are some examples of things that you use in your life that look or act like something found in nature?
• Why do you think scientists and engineers use nature as inspiration for their research and designs?

Safety:

Have your students put on safety goggles.
Be sure the students use caution when using the scissors and/or utility knife.

Additional Resources:

Making Stuff Wilder-project-guide from NOVA
Making Stuff Wilder-presentation_pdf-format from NOVA

Making More Stuff Website
NOVA

Real World Applications:
Nature is an amazing place to find design inspiration. From robotic mules to swarms of robotic bees, scientists and engineers are using the natural world as inspiration for the “wildest” new inventions:

Velcro
Robotic grippers
Mechanical claws
Fabric designed from fish slime
Robotic “mules” and “cheetahs” used by the military
Robotic snake cameras
Hydrogen powered robotic jellyfish for underwater surveillance
Solar mirrors designed after sunflowers to increase the amount of sunlight collected

STEM Careers:

Mechanical Engineer
Engineer
Researcher
Mechanic
Biomedical Engineer
Environmental Technician
Manufacturing Technician
Aerospace Engineers
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

Standards:

Suggested Video(s):

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/making-more-stuff.html#making-stuff-wilder