🐦 I4 Levers, Linkages & Cams

The Gizmo Museum wants moving storybook toys, called automata, like the ones made 200 years ago. You are the new toymakers.

Inventors, Intermediate. Engineer Stamp: Mechanism Maker.

Lessons

  1. Lazy-tongs grabber: How can a small squeeze make a long reach?
  2. The woodpecker automaton: This toy turns round-and-round into up-and-down. Where does it happen?
  3. Lever classes lab: Pliers, see-saws and tweezers are all levers, but different kinds. Which kind is this gate?
  4. Cam beat programmer: A cam is a bumpy wheel that tells something when to move. Let’s make music!
  5. Design Day: Storybook automaton: The museum opens next week and the display case is empty!
  6. Showcase: Automaton Theatre: Lights down, handles turn. Each team performs its 30-second story.

Design challenge

Build an automaton that tells a tiny story with at least two different moving parts.

Engineering ideas

Standards: UK D&T KS2 mechanisms, 3-5-ETS1-3