The development of new materials with incredible properties is changing the way we live. From LCD TVs to super light airliners, these materials have quickly found their way into the modern technology around us. One area where modern materials have made a huge impact is in the development of prosthetic devices.

Some of these devices are beginning to outperform ‘natural’ body parts. The resources in this collection encourage students to investigate the properties of smart materials and carry out some data manipulation.

Students will also explore the possible moral and ethical issues associated with people potentially choosing to replace healthy body parts with artificial prostheses because they offer higher performance.

 

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Which Material? 1

In this activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), students carry out some data analysis to find the best material from which to make a prosthetic foot. They plot graphs of stress against strain and calculate the modulus of elasticity for a...

Which Material? 2

In this practical activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, students investigate the properties of smart springs and see how they might be used as muscles in a robotic arm. This activity can be used as an extension to the related activity ‘...

The Anatomy of Prosthetics

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), is a quick, engaging introduction to a lesson looking at the properties of modern materials and how these are used to imitate human body parts. Students think about human body parts which can...

Smart materials 1

In this activity from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, students investigate the properties of different categories of smart materials and decide which kinds of materials might offer the best prospects for a financial investment. Students work in teams and...

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