Kicking Machine
In addition to providing students with yet another opportunity to move through the entire problem solving heuristic, the kicking machine project challenges students to consider the risks involved in their solutions and apply mitigation strategies to increase their odds of success. The very short (20 second) testing window means balls must be fired quickly and accurately. For teams using the popular ‘sling shot’ or ‘mechanical foot’ solutions, the main risk is how well the human user can operate the machine. Risk can be reduced by properly training a team member to use the machine. Risk reduction is great, but avoiding risk altogether is even better.
Learning
Outcomes
Problem Solving
Risk Mitigation
Objective
Build a scaled down prototype of a kicking machine using the provided material. The kicking machine is used to train goalkeepers and should be able to consistently kick the ball to specific target locations. There are two rounds in total. In the first round, every shot that a team misses will be transferred to the next team for the following round. The team that scores the most amount of points between the two rounds wins.
Constraints
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The ball and all parts of kicking device must start 3 feet from the goal.
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Each team has a baseline of 5 balls for the first round.
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No time limit per round, but students should mitigate missing shots.
Materials
Materials
Quantity
Ping Pong Balls
Unlimited
12" Dowels
2
1
Tape
Cardboard (5”x7”)
6
Popsicle Sticks
Paper clips
Metal Ruler
Other Materials
Rubber bands
4
4
Unlimited within reason
4
6" Dowels
6
Upon
request*
Sample Student Work
Resources
Rubric
Photo of Goal
Reflection Slides Template