Seventh-grade science students were given a hands-on engineering challenge this week – design and build a prosthetic hand that can perform various functions. To further add to the challenge, students were given only straws, adhesive, cardboard, rubber bands, string and popsicle sticks as their building materials.
Each group’s prosthetic had a different function to perform. Students could choose to design the hand for catching, throwing, grasping, pointing, a thumbs-up, an A-OK symbol, typing, scooping, or holding. By the end of the challenge, one group was able to hold a cup of water with the hand that they built.
This project was part of a body movement chapter, a study of how structures in the muscular and skeletal systems work together to create movement.
