A Nuffield design hexagon task focusing on a range of graphics products. The resource aims to extend understanding of how to evaluate a design by thinking how it affects people and whether it performs as expected. This resource contains a number of activities for each side of the design hexagon (student pages and...

This resource provides a cross-curricular design and technology project which links to work on the lungs and respiration. Children design and make a device to measure maximal exhalation volume. They also discover more about the work of biomedical engineers throughout the process. This resource was designed for use...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), introduces students to the ethical and moral issues of remote surgery.

It is intended that students will be able to:
• Understand what...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), introduces students to methods of how to identify what components can be used as electronic sensors.

The resource is designed so that students...

This starter activity can be used as an introduction to reverse engineering. Using the presentation Earphones and Headphones, students are asked to identify the product and its function. They consider the following questions:

These activities provide students with an understanding of the importance of fitness for purpose when designing new products. Students learn how to effectively dismantle and investigate an engineered product to determine its function/purpose.

This resource investigates how hoverboards work.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• Understand how at least two different examples of hoverboards function.
• Know how to analyse examples of existing products.
• Analyse the main features of a product and identify improvements that...

This resource considers the social implications and challenges faced.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To know what is meant by a remote area.
• To understand the social problems and challenges faced by people living in remote...

From Practical Action, this resource encourages students to look at how design specifications are balanced when developing new products.

This collection of classroom presentations, student worksheets and student revision activities support the teaching of:

• types of motion (I.e. reciprocating, oscillating, linear, rotary)
• gears (I.e. bevel, idler, gear trains
• pulleys
• levers (I.e. first order, second order,...

This collection of resources looks at the Life Cycle Analysis of a mobile phone. Included in this resource are the student worksheets. teacher notes and a presentation.

In this design challenge from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, students make a linear actuator. The lead screw linear actuator uses a motor driven screw thread to move a threaded slider along its length. Limit switches turn off the motor when the slider...

In this design challenge from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, students construct a lever that is moved by muscle wire. This is a conductor that contracts when an electric current is passed through it. The wire movement controls a lever.

In this design challenge from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, students make a rotating arm actuator. This uses a geared dc motor to turn a friction fit arm. Two cams can be set at different angles to operate limit switches to control the movement of the...

In this design challenge from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, students build an electric racer powered by a super-capacitor. Students must construct the racer and choose which pulley ratio will enable it to cover the greatest distance.