Games
Robotic Hand
Children build robotic hands using simple materials like cardboard, strings, and straws to explore mechanics, movement, and basic robotics through creative hands-on play.
Materials
- A4 Paper/Cardboard
- Straws
- Thread
- Tapes
- Scissors
Click on the image to learn more
Checklist
Older game
how to play
Divide the children into groups of 2. Begin with a story, such as young inventors tasked with creating robotic hands to help astronauts work in space where ordinary hands cannot function, or to rescue treasures from deep under the sea where humans cannot reach. Provide each group with cardboard, strings, straws, and tape, and explain that their mission is to design a robotic hand that bends and grabs objects when the strings are pulled. Encourage them to try different finger lengths, string placements, and grip designs to make their hand flexible and strong. If children struggle, guide them with hints like: How many fingers would make it easier to hold things? Where should the strings be tied to bend the fingers? How can you make the grip tighter so it doesn’t drop objects? Once complete, let the groups test their robotic hands by picking up small items such as pencils, erasers, or pebbles.
Challanges
- Use either of the materials (paper or cardboard) or both in the same session.
- You can ask kids to move certain fingers initially, like try to move one finger, then try to move two or three fingers together. Afterward, they can try to move the whole hand together.
- With this, you can ask kids to grab and throw something, most likely paper balls, but you can also try grabbing and throwing different materials like pebbles, paper, and sticks, and see the difference if the hand could grab and hold it.
- Different hand gestures can be made using a robotic hand that would help them learn about sign language.
Questions to be asked
- How is the robotic hand controlled?
- Can you compare this to the human hand? Do you find the thread used in this similar to human nerves?
- What can be picked up using the robotic hand and why?