Mechanical Grabber sci on

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™
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What You Neese the
hanger (U
• wire clothes
ard tube
type with a cardbo
nded wire.)
attached to open-e
• string
dowel
• rubber bands
• duct tape
(1 inch in
• PVC plastic pipe
et long)
diameter and 3 fe
l (1/4 inch in
• wooden dowe
st 3 feet long)
diameter and at lea
tape, PVC
(You can find duct
ooden dowels
plastic pipe and w
e.)
at a hardware stor
Engineering Scoop
This mechanical grabber makes it easy to
grab trash. You can lift up trash without
bending over. Each material plays an
important role in the design. The dowel pulls
the “hands” together to capture an item
and pushes them apart to release it. The
duct tape or rubber bands keep the trash
from slipping off the grabber.
l
a
c
i
n
a
h
c
e
M
Grabber
rubber
bands
PVC pipe
duct tape
Pick up
trash without
touching it!
wire “hands”
the hanger.
cardboard tube from
e
th
ve
o
m
e
R
1
e “hands” of
o sides to form th
Reshape the tw
er
the grabber.
ed part of the hang
ok
ho
e
th
t
u
o
n
et).
2 Straighte
e rod in your clos
th
er
ov
s
ng
ha
at
ith duct
(the part th
ightened hanger w
ra
st
e
th
to
el
w
do
3 Attach a
hanger and dowel
ed
en
ht
ig
ra
st
e
th
tape. Place
ds”
astic pipe. The “han
pl
C
PV
e
th
of
d
into one en
e end
ld poke out of on
of the hanger shou
ke
e dowel should po
of the pipe and th
out of the other.
each
s or duct tape to
4 Add rubber band
the hanger.
of the “hands” of
”
to make the “hands
5 Pull on the dowel
sh on
e together and pu
of the grabber com
e them.
the dowel to releas
paper? A soda
pick up a piece of
u
yo
an
C
t.
u
o
6 Try it
r?
rove your grabbe
p
im
u
yo
n
ca
ow
can? H
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is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0337323. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
on
™
Another simple way to make a
grabber is to create tongs
out of wooden paint stirring
sticks (you can get them for
free at any paint store), rubber
bands, and paper. Which
grabber do you think will
work better? Try them
both! Which would you
rather use?
Sent in by Girl Scout Troop 2628 of Maynard, MA
folded paper