Middle School, Electricity & Electronics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 2)

Build an Obstacle-Detecting Walking Stick for Blind People

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Many individuals who are blind or visually impaired use canes to navigate their surroundings, using their sense of touch to detect obstacles. What if you could create an electronic cane that emits an audible warning before coming into contact with an object? This project allows you to do just that by incorporating an ultrasonic distance sensor and a buzzer to alert the user of approaching obstacles. You can customize the cane by adding additional features or altering the design, such as using a… Read more

Build Obstacle-Detecting Glasses for Visually Impaired People

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Many visually impaired people use canes to detect obstacles at ground level. What about detecting an obstacle at face level, like a tree branch? What if you need to keep both your hands free and cannot hold a cane? Solve both problems at once with these obstacle-detecting glasses! The glasses use an ultrasonic sensor to measure distance and a buzzer to alert the user of nearby objects. You can customize the design to add or swap out features, like using a vibration motor instead of a buzzer.… Read more

Green Technology: Build an Electronic Soil Moisture Sensor to Conserve Water

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Water is a valuable resource, and water shortages are a serious problem in many parts of the world. The problem can be made worse by people who waste water; for example, by watering a garden or using sprinklers on their lawn (or a farmer taking care of an entire field) when it has rained recently or the soil is already moist. How can you help conserve water and prevent such waste? One way is to build an electronic soil moisture sensor. This project will show you how to build a circuit that… Read more

Make a Heart Rate Monitor

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

People have a variety of reasons to use heart rate monitors. For example, patients in a hospital might have stationary, bedside equipment monitor their heart rate and alert medical staff in case of an emergency. Somebody going for a run might wear a portable heart rate monitor to keep track of their workout intensity. Heart rate monitors are not all the same—their appearance and function will vary depending on the intended use. In this project you will design, build, and program your own… Read more

Design a Wearable Air Quality Index Monitor

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

You can look up information about local air pollution, such as the Air Quality Index (AQI), online or even get alerts on your phone. But what if you could wear a device that continuously monitors the air quality around you in real time, alerting you to unsafe levels? Such a device could alert a person with asthma when they need to go inside, let you know if smoke from a nearby wildfire is drifting in your direction, or signal when it is time to take a break on a hazy summer day. The Science… Read more

Make an Automatic Braille Display to Help Blind People

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

We take it for granted that computer screens can update the text on their displays. What about braille, the writing system used by blind and visually impaired people? Braille writing usually consists of a series of permanently raised bumps on a surface like a piece of paper or a sign. How can you make these bumps change or "update" to display different text? Find out in this engineering project as you design and build your own refreshable braille display. Read more

Make Your Own Low-Power AM Radio Transmitter

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how an AM radio station works? In this project you will learn the basics of how your favorite songs are transmitted by a radio station, by building your own simple AM radio transmitter. You will learn the basics of how a transmitter works, and how you are able to tune to your favorite station and listen to music. Read more

Build Your Own Super-sensitive Electric Field Detector

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Wouldn't it be nice to avoid those nasty electric shocks you get after you have walked around on carpet and then touch a doorknob? These shocks are caused by static electricity. In this project, you will build a super-sensitive charge detector to investigate the electric fields created by static electricity. The detector can sense invisible electric fields before you touch something and get zapped, so try this project to avoid the shock of shocks! Read more

Design a Mini Solar Tracker System

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

How can you squeeze as much power as possible out of solar panels if you do not have a lot of space to install them? By tracking the sun! Keeping a solar panel pointed directly at the sun throughout the day can maximize the amount of power it produces. In this project you will design, build, and test your own miniature solar tracking system using a fun block-based programming language - no coding experience required! Read more

How Does the Intensity of Light Change with Distance?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How does the intensity of a light source change as you move away from it? This project describes a method to verify the inverse square law: how light, sound, electrical signals, and gravity each decrease with distance from their source. It does not matter if you are talking about a lightbulb or the sun; this law still applies! Read more

Middle School, Electricity & Electronics Projects, Lessons, Activities (84 results)

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