Mechanical Animal

This lesson was developed for The 2027 Tech Challenge: Game On!

What do folding chairs, car wipers, window hinges, and puppets have in common? They all use mechanisms! Mechanisms are groups of connected parts that allow you to control how things move.
Some mechanisms, like scissors, use simple linkages. Others, like the mechanical characters in amusement parks, use cams, gears, and pulleys to create complex, surprising movements. This activity is an open-ended exploration of mechanisms and the types of motion they can create.

Background Information

A mechanism is a system of moving parts that work together to create action. Examples of mechanisms include levers, gears, springs, pulleys, and linkages. Whenever you squeeze a pair of scissors, ride a bicycle, or open an umbrella, you are using a mechanism!

Engineers use mechanisms to take an input force like a push or turn of a hand and transform it into a different action. They design systems to create four main types of motion: linear, rotational, reciprocating, and oscillatory.

Examples of mechanical motion 

By combining these motions with the help of mechanisms, engineers can solve complex problems:

• In space exploration, Mars and lunar rovers use linkages as legs to climb over big, uneven rocks.
• In construction, excavators and other big machines use levers and gears to dig up massive amounts of dirt or move heavy objects.
• In medical technology, robotic prosthetics have pulleys and cables that mimic human muscles, allowing a person to gently grip things or accomplish delicate tasks.
• In entertainment, theme parks have lifelike animatronic creatures or characters that dance on stage with the power of gears, levers, and cams.

Which of the four motions will your students use to bring their Mechanical Menagerie to life?

Materials 

• Pencil or pen (1 per student)
• Meet the Mechanisms Handout (1 per pair)

Building Materials

Find a couple items from each category. Don’t limit yourself to the objects on this list. Use whatever you have on hand, be creative!

Preparation

1. Gather materials, print Meet the Mechanisms Handouts (1 per student).
2. If you are re-using cardboard from packaging for structural pieces, cut some of it into smaller parts:
   • Make linkage links: cut the cardboard into strips approximately 1 inch wide and 4 - 8 inches long, then punch holes into the middle and at each end
   • Make a “pegboard” base: give each student a pre-cut piece of cardboard with a grid of pre-punched holes
   • Make panels that students can assemble into smaller boxes or platforms
3. Try out the activity yourself, with other educators or kids you know. This will give you practice with the resources so you can anticipate student questions.
   • We recommend saving any examples of animal mechanisms you have made to share later rather than demonstrating them first. If students are shown an example right away they tend to try to recreate it. When students are given a chance to explore with materials on their own first it can lead to unique and surprising creations.

Lesson Directions

Activate Prior Knowledge (5 min) 

1. Define the term mechanism for the class as “A system of moving parts that work together to create action” and ask Guiding Questions about mechanisms:
   
   • What are some examples of mechanisms you have seen in the real world?
   • Where have you seen gears, levers, linkages, or springs?
2. Next ask them if these mechanisms and motions remind them of any animals:
   
   • For example: a pair of scissors or a folding chair opening and closing may remind them of a snapping alligator
   • The spring on a pen may remind them of a jumping kangaroo
3. Point out that toys, games, and even displays at theme parks often use mechanisms to design creative moving animals.

Introduce the Activity (5 min)

1. Tell students that they will become toy designers and create a whimsical Mechanical Animal using everyday materials to arrange into a classwide mechanical zoo.
2. Review the steps of the activity with students: 
   
   • Research the mechanism
   • Build the Mechanical Animal prototype
   • Tour the Mechanical Animal zoo

Activity

Research the Mechanism (20 min) 

1. Have students get into pairs for the activity. If students are participating in The Tech Challenge, have the team divide into pairs and create different mechanisms.
2. Show students the Mechanical Catalog and Meet the Mechanisms Handout.
   • Review the different types of mechanisms provided (lever, linkage, mass and spring, and gears).
   • Note that these are not all the mechanisms in the world, but just a few to get them started.
3. Using the Meet the Mechanisms Handout, ask them to identify the input and output parts and trace the motions of each mechanism with arrows.
4. Have students review the available materials for making their Mechanical Animals.
5. As students touch and explore the materials, encourage students to consider how the parts may combine to make a mechanism.
6. As students observe how each mechanism moves, encourage them to imagine possible animals that they could create.
   • Does it have flapping wings?
   • A wiggly head or tail?
   • Bending legs?
   • A mouth you can open and close?
7. Have the students select an animal action and one mechanism from the list below the Catalog. They will try to create a mechanism that makes this action. 
8. Ask the students to draw a quick sketch of the animal, showing how it will move with arrows

Build the animal prototype (30 min) 

1. Have pairs build their mechanism first. Ask them to demonstrate that it can move without breaking or locking before adding decorations.
   • Once the mechanism can move reliably, have students attach or draw animal features onto the moving parts. 
2. If a pair finishes early, encourage them to design more than one animal using the same mechanism. Ask the open-ended questions such as: 
   • What can you do to make each creature unique?
   • How could you build the same mechanism and movement with different materials?
   • How can you refine their design so that it works even under repeated testing?

Tour the zoo (10 min) 

1. At the end of the time limit, teams stop even if they have not completed their designs.
2. Have them share their design so others can see. This can be as simple as placing all of the animals in one long line on a table, or having them parade around the room moving their animals. 
3. Possible Sharing Questions could include:
   • Tell us how your mechanism works.
   • What was the most challenging part of getting the movement you wanted?
   • What changes would you make if you had more time?
4. Invite students to continue to give positive feedback on other team’s designs and encourage them to share suggestions.

Debrief (5 min) 

1. After students share their designs, lead a short debrief with some of these questions. Possible Debrief Questions include:
   • What was it like having to design a specific mechanical movement? 
   • Which materials were most useful as you were building your design? 
   • What are other situations where you have seen mechanisms like these being used?
   • For these designs you were inspired by animal movement, what else do you think inspires designers and engineers when they are building?
2. Teams that are participating in The Tech Challenge should make sure that they capture their designs and ideas in their Team Journal.

Standards Connections

Vocabulary