Medical Technology: organ harvesting and Transplants

Classroom Challenge
A Radio-Controlled
Car Challenge
By Harry T. Roman
Robot engineers do not buy a
robot first and force it to fit the
application.
task location and once there extend human presence into
the remote work environment, allowing humans to work
safely at a distance. Such rugged machines have been used
in the monitoring of nuclear power plants, hazardous spill
cleanups, security patrols, and inspection tasks. A great deal
of literature is available on the Internet and through library
sources for your students to investigate and understand.
Students will ultimately select an application for their
radio-controlled car, but first they must understand what
their little machines are capable of. Using a purchased or
available car, students should develop plans for testing
the car’s capabilities. Here they should be thinking like
engineers to evaluate and assess the range of operational
capability of this simple battery-operated system. Start by
Watching a radio-controlled car zip along a sidewalk
or street has become a common sight. Within this
toy are the basic ingredients of a mobile robot,
used by industry for a variety of important and
potentially dangerous tasks. In this challenge, your students
will consider modifying an off-the-shelf, radio-controlled
car, adapting it for a robotic task.
Understanding the Problem
Over the last 20 years, a whole new class of robot has
emerged, the mobile robot. These machines are driven to the
Radio-controlled cars have become a common sight.
11 • The Technology Teacher • April 2010