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Design your own robot.

A robot is a machine that can do work that a person can do. Often a robot inventor's goal is to create a machine that will do a job that would be dangerous or unpleasant for a person to do. Robots have been invented to do monotonous tasks in factories, or are used by bomb disposal teams.

On the first week of this project, students complete this worksheet and discuss what robots might be created in the future. After making a drawing of a robot they think might exist in the future, we create wood sculptures of our fantasies using scraps collected from local carpenters. For finishing details, students glue buttons, pieces of broken toys, and plastic shapesto the sculptures to represent the working parts of the robots.

Although their creations won't be able to help them with their homework or clean their room for them, students can't wait to take their robots home.

Robot Design Sheet

Some jobs are very dangerous for humans. What are some of these jobs?

1. Firefighting

2. Bomb disposal





Could a robot be designed to do these dangerous jobs?

Make a drawing of a robot that you would like to make. Would you give it a name? What jobs would it perform?

If you could make a robot to do work in your own home, what tasks would you want it to be able to do? Make a list of possible duties for your robot:

1. Cooking

2. Cleaning







Andrew Wales is an art teacher in Athens, Pennsylvania.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Davis Publications, Inc.

Article Details
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Author:Wales, Andrew
Publication:School Arts
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Jan 1, 2002
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