Exploring Prosthetic Hands and AI Inspired by Roz the “Wild Robot”
Students will be able to design and create prosthetic hands inspired by the Wild Robot through the engineering design process (EDP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and retell and explain how the story line relates to the ideas presented in the EDP and AI.
Overview
Students read The Wild Robot and use Roz, a robot who adapts to survive, as an entry point into two real fields of Army-relevant research: assistive prosthetics and artificial intelligence. Over twelve 90-minute class periods they move from close reading and discussion into designing, building, and testing a low-cost prosthetic hand, then examine how machine learning lets a device improve with use. The unit follows the 5E instructional model and blends computer science, English language arts, and science, so it can be taught by a single teacher or split across a grade-level team.
Lesson Objectives
- Design and create prosthetic hands inspired by the Wild Robot through engineering design process and AI
- Retell the story and explain how the story line relates to the ideas presented in the EDP and AI.
Standards
NGSS · 4
- 5-LS2-1Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
- 5-ESS1-1Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.
- 5-ESS1-2Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
- 3-5-ETS1-1Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
CCSS ELA · 5
- L.5.3Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- L.5.3.aExpand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
- L.5.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- L.5.5Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- L.5.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
CSTA · 5
- 3A-IC-24Compare tradeoffs associated with computing technologies that affect people's everyday activities and career options.
- 3A-AP-17Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases
- 3A-DA-09Use data to highlight or propose cause-and-effect relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate an idea.
- 3A-DA-11Create programs that use variables to store and modify data.
- 3A-AP-13Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process.