2018-2019-STEAM-Superheroes - Flipbook - Page 48
EPIC IDENTITY FEATURING PROF. LEIA STIRLING
5.
Technical specifications
Students can report the technical specifications of their wearable technology in a product brochure,
engineering-influenced superhero poster, or through another process of your choice. For example, if
your wearable improves human performance in some way (e.g. shoes that make a hero run faster),
design an experiment to test how effective they are. Circle back to the original idea of establishing the
identity of a superhero, and have students share their superhero’s identity and powers in a rigorous way.
!• High and low tech: From eyeglasses to exoskeletons, think about the spectrum of wearable technology.
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• Repurpose existing tech: Sensors and data from commonplace objects (fitness trackers,
smartphones, robotics kits, thermometers, lasers, etc.) can be repurposed into wearable
technology that quantifies human performance.
• Partnerships: Connect with local organizations with access to and knowledge of wearable
technology and athletics, such as athletic clothing manufacturers, medical device companies,
and other technology companies.
• Exploration and structure: Encourage and allow for student-driven exploration, while at the
same time providing the structure process.
Project Example: MIT Graduate Student
Here’s an example of an MIT student project that fits the criteria of the Epic Identity featuring Prof. Leia
Stirling challenge. Because the MIT Challenges are designed to be student-driven, we encourage you
to focus on the process that led to this project, rather than the outcome of project.
Prof. Leia Stirling and her graduate student created a prototype of footwear that astronauts might use to
help them safely walk on the surface of Mars. An astronaut’s spacesuit and tools are perfect analogies
to a superhero’s costume and gadgets: the round helmet and white bulky suit immediately establish the
identity of an astronaut, and the vibrating footwear are a wearable technology that measurably improve
the astronaut’s ability to walk safely on a unfamiliar surface
The technology used to create the footwear may be accessible in your classroom: the bases of the shoes
was 3D printed, and the simple circuitry includes sensors and vibrating motors. They were then tested
by users to quantify how often the wearer looked at their feet or stumbled.
Further reading
Avoiding stumbles, from spacewalks to sidewalks (MIT News)
An MIT News article about the vibrating footwear created in Prof. Stirling’s lab to help astronauts and
the visually impaired detect upcoming obstacles
http://news.mit.edu/2016/vibrating-footwear-astronauts-visually-impaired-0722
These boots keep astronauts from tripping over their own feet (Wired)
A video and article from Wired about the vibrating footwear created in Prof. Stirling’s lab
https://www.wired.com/2017/02/boots-keep-astronauts-tripping-feet/
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