Design an automated hand-stamping machine.

We stamp a lot of hands at the Museum every day. In this activity, participants get a chance to design, build, and test an automated hand-stamping machine by borrowing concepts from existing designs and modifying them to fit their needs. They'll gain experience using gears and pulleys to explore concepts such as mechanical advantage, changing from rotary to linear motion, and altering timing in a machine.

Visitors are encouraged to modify their designs so that their stamp leaves a clearer image, to adjust the stamping mechanism to different hand sizes, or to allow more time to slide their hand underneath before the next stamping.

Supplemental Material

• Worksheet (pdf)
• Educator's Guide (pdf)