;
Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
18
The next challenge involved finding a material that was more tactile but still
attracted to a magnet. After trying a variety of materials, he settled on paper
clips. In consultation with the mentor (who was a blind electrical engineer),
the student decided to hang the paper clips from a frame so that when the
clips were lifted/released by a magnet, they could fall back into place. Much
iteration of frames followed. In the end, a wooden frame was constructed with
the help of the machine shop and wires were strung across on which the
"unsprung" paper clips hung. Scanning the top of the frame with magnet did
indeed cause the highly tactile paper clips to rise and fall.
The student
envisioned lucrative and humanitarian applications of his prototype!
Table 4 lists examples of how the seniors demonstrated the science
and engineering practices.
45
