Soft robots are an emerging technology which causes us to rethink the design and fabrication of robots. The pliable material they are made of—often things like silicone or fabric—adapts to objects and tasks and have increased potential for safe human interaction. However, the driving principles behind soft robot fabrication and operations are also fundamentally different; soft robots are fabricated by material synthesis and operate using material deformation, whereas traditional robots are typically built using pre-fabricated, rigid materials, and operate using mechanical assemblies. We have adapted laboratory procedures for making soft robot grippers to fit classroom equipment and constraints. We have also extended previous outreach efforts to make these grippers by developing a 3D printed mold which affords design variation. This paper describes the roots of our work and gives an overview of a classroom process for soft robot fabrication. Other resources describing the breadth of our research with classroom-integrated soft robot design are mentioned.
Andrew Jackson is an Assistant Professor of Workforce Education at the University of Georgia. His teaching and research interests are to support design-based learning and teaching in technology and engineering contexts. His past work has bridged cutting-edge soft robotics research to develop and evaluate novel design experiences in K-12 education, followed students' self-regulation and trajectories while designing, and produced new instruments for assessing design decision-making. Andrew received a PhD in Technology through Purdue's Polytechnic Institute, with an emphasis on Engineering and Technology Teacher Education, and completed postdoctoral research at Yale University. He is the recipient of a 2015 Ross Fellowship from Purdue University and has been recognized as a 21st Century Fellow by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
Nathan Mentzer is an assistant professor in the College of Technology with a joint appointment in the College of Education at Purdue University. Hired as a part of the strategic P12 STEM initiative, he prepares Engineering/Technology candidates for teacher licensure. Dr. Mentzer’s educational efforts in pedagogical content knowledge are guided by a research theme centered in student learning of engineering design thinking on the secondary level. Nathan was a former middle and high school technology educator in Montana prior to pursuing a doctoral degree. He was a National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) Fellow at Utah State University while pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. After graduation he completed a one year appointment with the Center as a postdoctoral researcher.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4299-8561
Western Carolina University
[biography]
Not an author.
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