Strawbots

Before you research, make sure you know exactly what you are looking for — joints are everywhere, and they come in more forms than you might expect.

Read the three cards below. They introduce the key ideas you will use during today's research.

Sort each item into the correct column: Natural Joint, Man-made Joint, or Not a Joint.

Collecting images is only the start — annotating them forces you to look closely and explain what you see, which is where the real learning happens.

1. Find at least four images of joints: at least TWO natural joints (e.g. in animals or plants) and at least TWO man-made joints (e.g. in buildings, machines, or furniture).
2. Upload each image.
3. Drop a numbered pin on the exact point of the joint.
4. Write a note for each pin using this structure:
   • Name of the joint (if known)
   • Natural or man-made?
   • What does it connect?
   • What movement (if any) does it allow?

Now that you have collected and annotated your images, take what you have learned and put it into your own words — this is where research turns into understanding.

Answer each question using what you found during your research.

Taking two minutes to reflect on what you found and what surprised you helps lock the learning in — and gives you something to build on next lesson.

Answer the three reflection prompts honestly. There are no wrong answers here — your genuine thinking is what matters.

Before you start building, make sure you know exactly what a joint is — and why it matters in a moving structure.

Read the three cards below. As you read, think about the straws and connectors on your table — which type of joint do you think they could make?

Sharp makers notice exactly where a joint is — and where it isn't. Sort these examples before you start building.

Click each item, then click the column where it belongs. You will get instant feedback on each placement.

Good designers study their materials before committing to a build — a few minutes of testing now saves a lot of ripping apart later.

Using the straws and connectors on your table, test at least two different ways of joining straws before you start your strawbot. Then answer the questions below.

Now it is time to build — use what you discovered about joints to make a basic strawbot that can stand on its own.

Build your strawbot using straws and at least one type of joint you tested. Your strawbot must stand up on its own without support.

When you are happy with it:

1. Take at least two clear photos of your finished strawbot from different angles.
2. Upload your best photo here.

Keep your strawbot safe — you will annotate it in the next step.

Taking a photo is only the start — annotating forces you to look closely and explain the decisions you made while building.

Upload your strawbot photo (or use the one you just took). Drop at least three numbered pins onto different parts of your strawbot. For each pin, write a note that answers: What is this part? What type of joint is it, or what structural role does it play? Why did you make it this way?

Aim for pins on: a joint, a structural part (leg, frame), and one thing you would change if you built it again.

Now that you have built and annotated your strawbot, take what you learned and put it into words — this is your making record.

Answer the three questions below. Write in full sentences. Your answers will form part of your design documentation.

You've researched how joints work, built a basic strawbot, and seen what it can and can't do. Now you're the designer. Your job is to design a concept for a better, more advanced strawbot — one that fixes a real problem you saw in your own build.

Start from a real problem. Think back to your basic strawbot in Lesson 2. What did it do badly? Did it fall over? Did the legs slip? Did it only shuffle instead of walk? Was it too slow? Pick the ONE problem you most want to fix — this is what your whole design has to solve.

What you will produce:

1. A design specification — the success criteria your advanced version must meet (what a good solution to your problem looks like).

2. A range of design ideas (at least 3 different sketches) — each one a different attempt at solving your problem. Annotate them so someone else can understand how they work.

3. A chosen design — pick your best idea, add detail, and justify why you chose it over the others.

Command terms:

• Design — produce a plan, drawing or model to solve a problem.

• Develop — improve an idea by adding detail and refining it.

• Justify — give valid reasons for your choice. …

Write 2-3 success criteria. Cover different parts of your strawbot — use these headings to make sure you don't just write about one thing:

• Movement / Function — What must it do? (walk forward? how far? straight?)
• Stability — Must it stay upright? Not tip?
• Joints / Mechanism — What must the joints and linkage do? Stay rigid? Turn the motor's spin into a walking step?
• Structure — Must it hold together while the motor runs?
• Size / Materials — Must it be buildable from straws, split-pins, card and 3D-printed parts? Any size limit?

The most important rule: at least one of your criteria must directly solve the problem you picked from your basic strawbot. If your basic one fell over, one criterion must be about staying upright. If it only shuffled, one must be about a proper walking step.

Sentence starters

"My advanced strawbot must ______ ."

"Because my basic strawbot ______ (my chosen problem), it must ______ ."

Photos of your 3+ concept sketches.

On every sketch, label:

• where the joints are,
• where the crank / linkage is (the part that turns the motor's spin into movement),
• how it moves, and
• how this idea fixes your chosen problem.

What you're making Working with your partner, you will select one of your design ideas and build a first physical prototype — Version 1 (V1). Alongside the built outcome, you will document the entire making process as an ongoing record of your decisions, actions, and reflections.

Who it's for Your V1 prototype and process documentation are for your design teacher and your partner — evidence that you can move a design idea off the page and into reality, making thoughtful decisions as real-world challenges come up.

What you must include Your submission is the process documentation + V1 prototype together. Your documentation must capture:

• Which design idea you chose and why you chose it over the others

• In-progress photos or sketches showing the prototype at key stages of construction

• Notes on changes or problems encountered during making and how you responded to them

• A short reflection at the end: what V1 achieves, what it doesn't, and what you would change in a next version

What a strong response looks like

• The process record tells a clear story — someone reading it could follow what you did and why, not just what …

Upload your work.

Log what you made today — a photo and what you did.

In 2-3 sentences, what V1 achieves, what it doesn't, and what you would change in a next version

Your V1 strawbot taught you how straw structures fail in a race—now see what 3D-printed parts can fix.

Look at the three cards below. Each one shows a strength of 3D-printed parts that straw cannot do. As you research today, hunt for examples that use at least one of these strengths.

Before you start hunting for ideas, let's check you know what kind of 3D-printed part is actually worth researching for a race robot.

Sort each example into the right column. Click an item, then click a column to place it. You get instant feedback — if you're wrong, read the hint and try again.

Add images of inspiration you find. Search for ideas to improve joints, stability or speed. You'll be able to upgrade all of these in the next step.

add 1-2 annotations per image about a)what about the image inspired you and b)anything else that stood out

Before you start drawing, learn the three rules that make orthographic views clear and correct.

Look at each rule on the cards below. These are the standards you'll follow when you sketch your own orthographic drawings in this lesson.

Training your eye to spot errors now means your own drawings will be more accurate when you start drafting.

Read each drawing fragment below. Decide: does it show correct orthographic practice, or is it a common mistake? Click the fragment, then click the correct column to place it. You will get instant feedback — use any wrong answers to sharpen your thinking before you draw.

Now it's your turn — the more views you sketch and check, the faster your eye for orthographic drawing gets.

Choose your difficulty level using the tier slider. For each 3D shape shown in isometric view:

1. Sketch the front view, top view, and side view on your grid paper.
2. Label each view clearly.
3. Press "Reveal" to check your sketches against the correct answer.
4. Note any view you got wrong, then press "New shape" and try again.

Work through at least three shapes before moving on.

What you're making You will design and 3D print an original part, documenting the full journey — from brief and research through planning, sketching, drawing, and decision-making. This is before the next step where you'll produce the finished printed object.

Who it's for Your design documentation is a professional record for a client or end-user who needs to understand exactly what your part does and why it looks the way it does. Clear, accurate communication of your design thinking is just as important as the part itself.

What you must include Your submitted portfolio/process folder must show evidence of each stage below:

• Design brief — a concise written statement describing the part, its purpose, and the specific problem it solves or function it performs

• Research & investigation — annotated notes, sketches, or references that informed your design decisions (materials, dimensions, existing solutions, etc.)

• Concept sketches — 2–3 distinct concept sketches, each with annotations explaining the thinking behind that idea; these must be completed before you select your final design direction …

Upload 2–3 designs. On each, drop a pin on a specific part and write one note about what works (or doesn't). Aim for 2+ pins per design, what you like or dont like

Which concept did you choose? Why?

Your chosen idea completed on grid paper, drawn to a 1:1 scale, showing the top, front, and side views, with all key dimensions labelled.

You'll use it in the next step

Now that you have designed your piece and have Tinkercad skills, model your piece in Tinkercad

The resources below include .stl files that you can import into Tinkercad to use in your design.

1. Export from Tinkercad

5. Upload your .stl file from Tinkercad to this space and then hit the 'upload and scan' button

What you're making You are testing your strawbot and writing an evaluation of how well it works.

What you hand in

• Completed test results (data or observations from your tests)
• A annotated photo of your strawbot — label the parts that worked well and the parts that did not
• Written evaluation explaining what succeeded and what did not
• Any design changes you would make based on your findings

Testing your strawbot now reveals which parts of your design actually work under real conditions — the data from today will guide your design changes.

Run your strawbot at least three times. For each test, record: what you were testing (e.g. straw strength, wheel grip, steering), how you tested it (method and conditions), what you observed or measured (data or description of what happened), and which prototype version you tested. Note any failures, unexpected behaviour, or successful moments.

Use your test data and observations to pinpoint exactly what worked and what didn't on your strawbot — this visual map will ground your full evaluation.

Upload a clear photo of your built strawbot. Then drop labelled pins on the photo to mark specific parts: place green pins on parts that worked well during testing (the joints that moved smoothly, the structure that held firm, the straw angles that were effective), and red pins on parts that did not work well (joints that jammed, weak points, design features that caused the prototype to fail or move badly). For each pin, write a short note (2–3 sentences) explaining what you observed during testing and why that part succeeded or failed — link back to the actual test results and method you recorded.

Now that you have tested your strawbot and marked up which parts worked and which didn't, write a full evaluation that explains your thinking and points toward your next design.

Write your evaluation in three sections:

What succeeded. Identify 2–3 features or parts of your strawbot that worked well during testing. For each, explain WHY it worked — connect it directly to something you recorded in your test data or observed in your annotated photo.

What did not succeed. Identify 2–3 features or parts that did not work as intended. For each, describe what went wrong and reference your test observations or photo notes to support your claim.

Design changes. Propose at least two specific changes you would make to your next strawbot prototype to fix the problems you identified. For each change, explain how it will improve performance based on what you learned from testing.