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Lesson Plans

Foldable Paper Robotic Gripper

Summary

Grade Range
6th-12th
Group Size
1-2 students
Active Time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour
Area of Science
Mechanical Engineering
Key Concepts
Robotics, mechanical design
Credits
Ben Finio, PhD, Science Buddies
Finnley Meinig, University of Washington
Sawyer Fuller, PhD, University of Washington
NSF grant 2054850
Science Buddies is committed to creating content authored by scientists and educators. Learn more about our process and how we use AI.

A cut-out cardstock template with dotted lines that indicate where to fold. Next to it is a completed gripper, which consists of two finger shapes and a base where two thin strands, or tendons, enter. A hand holds the tendons just below the gripper's base..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Nn3ppWhK0

Overview

When your students think of robots, they probably think of materials like metal or plastic—but what about paper? In this lesson plan, your students will learn to make robotic parts from readily available classroom materials. Optionally, they can apply the engineering design process to improve the design or come up with their own designs.

Learning Objectives

Materials

Background Information for Teachers

This section contains a quick review for teachers of the science and concepts covered in this lesson.

Paper might not be the first material that comes to mind when you think about robots, but there are some surprising advantages to using it as a construction material. Paper is cheap and readily available. This makes it easy to build a robot from paper, even if you do not have access to more expensive tools or materials. Paper is very fast to cut, so you do not have to wait hours to make parts like you do with a 3D printer. You can make moving parts with paper by making folds that can bend back and forth, so you do not need any additional materials. Paper is also very strong for its weight (engineers say it has a high strength-to-weight ratio), allowing you to design sturdy but lightweight structures. Of course, there are some disadvantages too. You probably do not want to get your paper robot wet or expose it to flames! Thinking about advantages and disadvantages of different materials is something engineers do as part of the engineering design process. You can encourage your students to think of advantages and disadvantages of different materials as part of this lesson.

A robot with a flat body and six motorized legs made from folded foamboard. Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Figure 1. A hexapod robot made from foam board.

In this project your students will make robotic grippers and use them to pick things up. Inspired by origami, the entire gripper is folded into a three-dimensional shape from a single sheet of paper (Figure 2). The simple gripper has two "fingers" and two tendons. Pulling on the tendons makes the finger joints bend, just like the fingers in a real hand. Your students can follow the steps in the lesson procedure to make the gripper shown in Figure 2, then use the engineering design process to try to improve the design and make it better at picking things up.

A robotic gripper made of folded paper. Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

The gripper consists of two finger shapes and a base where two thin strands, or tendons, enter. Below is a cut-out cardstock template with dotted lines that indicate where to fold.


Figure 2. The robotic gripper (top) and the paper template used to make it (bottom).

Prep Work (15 minutes)

Engage (10 minutes)

Explore (40 minutes)

Reflect (10 minutes)

Make Career Connections

Lesson Plan Variations

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