Terrain Walkers

Engineering Makerspace – Terrain Walkers

Get hands-on with physics and engineering by constructing eight awesome walking machines! Explore the workings of gear trains, linkages, and intermittent gears as you discover how these elements work together to create complex walking devices.

A 48-page manual guides you through builds of eight robots that are powered by a motor box. Each model moves in a different way. For example, the four-legged terrain-walker bot keeps its body level as it moves step by step, while the kangaroo-bot hops forward on two legs. The leopard-bot has four long legs while the wild boar has four short legs. The fairy shrimp model wriggles along on swimmerets while the monkey model uses its arms to crawl along a string.

The practice of assembling — and disassembling — each model provides invaluable insight into important engineering concepts and skills. Once you’re finished building the models from the kit, combine what you’ve learned with your own imagination to construct new and unique creations!