Lesson Plan (Grades 9–12): Smart Materials and Soft Robotics – Building Electroactive Grippers

Lesson Title: Smart Materials and Soft Robotics – Building Electroactive Grippers

Grade Level: Grades 9–12

Subject Area: Physical Science (Materials Science) / Engineering (Robotics Design) / Physics (Electromechanical Systems)

Overview Soft robotics harness compliant, “smart” materials that deform predictably under external stimuli. Unlike rigid-link robots, soft robots—made from electroactive polymers (EAPs) or shape-memory alloys (SMAs)—can grip fragile objects gently, adapt to unstructured environments, and enable novel applications in medicine, agriculture, and exploration. In this multi-session unit, student teams will:

1. Characterize an EAP or SMA actuator by measuring its strain and force response to electrical or thermal inputs.
2. Design and fabricate a two-finger soft gripper using the chosen material embedded in a compliant substrate.
3. Evaluate performance by measuring gripping force, deformation angle, and success rate when handling delicate items.
4. Analyze data to relate input (voltage or temperature) to actuation behaviors, and produce stress–strain and actuation curves.
5. Reflect on applications and limitations, proposing design improvements and exploring real-world soft-robotic use cases.

This lesson equips teachers with detailed objectives, standards alignment, materials lists, step-by-step procedures, differentiation strategies, assessments, and extensions, delivering an engaging, inquiry-based experience in advanced materials and robotic design.

Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives

• LO1: Describe the molecular mechanisms in at least one smart material—EAPs deform under applied electric fields via Maxwell stress, SMAs contract when heated above their transformation temperature—and explain how those translate to macroscopic actuation.
• LO2: Perform a controlled characterization of actuation performance (strain, blocking force, response time) by plotting actuation versus applied stimulus (voltage or temperature).
• LO3: Integrate the smart material into a compliant substrate (silicone or foam) and assemble a multi-finger gripper structure, ensuring durable electrical or thermal connections.
• LO4: Conduct object manipulation trials using foam balls or grapes, measuring required gripping force and deformation for successful pick-and-place without damage.
• LO5: Analyze collected data to produce stress–strain (or strain–input) and force–input curves, calculating energy conversion efficiency and comparing material performance.
• LO6: Critically evaluate the advantages and challenges of smart-material actuators in soft robotics, proposing at least two realistic improvements or alternative designs.

Standards Alignment

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • HS-PS2-6: Communicate scientific and technical information about how electromagnetic fields can be used to transfer energy and create mechanical motion in EAPs.
  • HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex engineering problem by breaking it down into smaller design tasks: material selection, actuation mechanism, structural integration.
• Common Core State Standards – Mathematics
  • HSS-ID.B.6: Represent data with plots on the real number line and interpret differences in data distribution (e.g., compare actuation curves for EAP vs. SMA groups).
• NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
  • Structure and Function: Relate polymer chain orientation in EAPs or crystalline phase transitions in SMAs to macroscopic bending or contraction.
  • Energy and Matter: Trace conversion from electrical or thermal energy into mechanical work, analyzing energy efficiency.