Engineering an Animal’s Survival
This unique engineering activity explores helping animals that cannot help themselves. Students perform research and design prosthetic prototypes for an animal to use for its survival. First, students choose an animal from a set of task cards. These cards have descriptions of animals that have injuries that keep them from getting what they need in the wild. Next, students work in pairs to research these animals and their habitats. They then create habitats for their animals to live and model 3D prosthetics for the animals to use with modeling clay. Finally, students share their habitats with their peers.
Engineers assisted this toucan named Grecia with a 3D printed beak.Copyright 2016 Bob J Galindo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grecia_tucan.jpg
Creating custom prosthetics for animals using 3D printers is a commonly used technique to help animals who have been injured or disabled at the hands of humans. For example, a toucan had a damaged beak and was having difficulty eating. Several engineering groups collaborated to create a 3D printed plastic piece to attach to her beak. She can now eat normally. Engineers not only help animals with injuries, they also design safe places for animals to live while they are healing. For example, engineers may work with biologists and conservationists to create new landscapes such as ecoparks and areas set aside for conservation.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Create a model that represents the living things found in a specific habitat.
- Explain how a specific habitat meets a specific animal’s needs.
- Provide examples of how 3D printing has helped injured animals.