Make a bionic hand from everyday materials
Hands are important because they are a primary means of interacting with the world around us. They allow us to perform a wide range of tasks, from writing to cooking to playing sports.
In addition, hands are essential for communication, as they allow us to gesture and express ourselves in ways that words alone cannot.
They are also something that we largely take for granted.
It’s hard to imagine life without them. But for many people, the functionality of hands has been replaced by ever-evolving technology to replace missing limbs.
Prosthetic limbs
There are a number of people who have prosthetic limbs, and the number is growing each year.
This is because of the advances in technology and the increasing number of people who are losing limbs due to accidents or illness.
Prosthetic limbs are becoming more and more lifelike, and they are allowing people to do things that they wouldn’t be able to do with older / more traditional prosthetic limbs.
We suggest you check out this video by The Guardian about bionic limbs, including a child who designs his own prosthetic limbs with his dad using a 3D printer at home!
Bionic limbs can be traced back through history. The first prosthetic is thought to be a toe, belonging to a woman in Egypt. It dates back to between 950-710 B.C.E.
In the 1800s, French surgeon Pierre-François Percy attempted to create a prosthetic limb. However, it was not until the 1950s that the first truly successful bionic hand was created. This hand was known as the “Javelin Arm”, and it was capable of performing a wide range of tasks such as opening doors and gripping objects.
Today, there are many different types of bionic hands available on the market.
In this blog post, we’re sharing a STEM activity called ‘Bionic Hand’, which show you how to make a bionic hand from everyday materials. The activity was created by the team at The European Space Agency.
The activity is aimed at children aged 8-12 years, and rated as ‘easy/medium’.
If you’re doing this at home, it’s estimated that it will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete.
“All thumbs and no fingers”
But before you get started, it’s important to understand the function of fingers and thumbs.
If you’ve ever heard the expression “all thumbs and no fingers” – you’ll have some idea why the distinction is important. It’s a metaphor that is used to describe someone who is clumsy. The phrase comes from the idea that people who are all thumbs may have difficulty using their hands, while people with no fingers cannot use their hands at all.
The thumb is responsible for grabbing or holding objects with different shapes and forms. Meanwhile, the fingers are responsible for providing the precision needed to perform tasks such as writing or picking up small objects.
Interestingly, as presented in first-hand stories from people with prosthetics – sometimes it’s desirable not to have thumbs or fingers at all in a prosthetic device. Some people choose modified hardware solutions that enable better performance, in, for example, drumming and music creation.
An activity to do at home
The Bionic Hand activity is a downloadable (and free!) information pack. It includes:
- ‘Fast facts’ about bionic hands
- Three activities, including 1) What’s inside your hand? 2) Build a bionic hand and 3) Test your bionic hand.
- Worksheets
- And links to additional resources for children who are especially curious and want to learn more
Information for teachers
In this activity, students learn to build a bionic hand made from everyday materials (e.g. cardboard, strings, straws, rubber bands) and relate this bionic hand to their own hand to understand the function of the fingers and the importance of the thumb, to grab or hold objects with different shapes and forms. Students will also understand how bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments work, by comparing them with the materials used on the bionic hand to move the fingers.
This activity has been mapped to the Victorian curriculum:
- Learning area: F-10: Design and Technologies
- Curriculum code: Design & Technologies > Levels 5 and 6 > Engineering principles and systems > VCDSTC034
- Level: 5,6
About Primary + STEM Activities
This activity forms part of the Primary + STEM team’s curated selection of Teaching Resources which have been mapped to the Victorian education curriculum. The resources are provided for parents to use at home with their children, or for teachers to use in the classroom.
There are over 100 activities that encourage STEM learning through play and activities on the Primary + STEM website.
Additional resource
‘Beyond bionics: how the future of prosthetics is redefining humanity’ – a video by The Guardian: https://youtu.be/GgTwa3CPrIE
Image credit
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels