Philip Smart | Adelaide
Students from three Australian secondary schools have used 3D design and printing to create body parts for a figurine, through a three month videoconference-based project delivered by Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, with support from Raytheon.
For the 3D design “virtual excursion” 46 students from schools in Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria were provided with snap-in sockets and a blueprint ball-joint design. Using 3D design and printing the teams then created heads, arms, legs and even wings for the torso to complete the figurine. Schools were able to set their own parameters for the challenge, such as creating functioning limb prototypes for amputees.
Questacon facilitators and Raytheon mechanical engineer Dallas Roderick guided the students with interactive workshops connected through Questacon’s Schmidt Studio videoconferencing facility in Canberra.
“These students have had the opportunity to explore design, engineering and modern manufacturing techniques,” said Questacon Director of Science and Learning, Dr Stuart Kohlhagen. “They’ve gained practical skills and experience in computer-aided design and manufacturing, measurement, geometry and communication.”
“Importantly, they’ve also experienced the process of innovation; that the path of turning ideas into reality often requires perseverance and creative problem solving.”
Supported by Raytheon, the Schmidt Studio has previously enabled more than 13,000 students across Australia to engage in face-to-face interaction with local and international scientists including NASA astronauts, Nobel Laureates and polar explorers. Students have been taken on virtual field trips, communicating directly with scientists in a variety of locations, from a scientific research vessel floating in the Gulf of Alaska to Australia’s Davis Station in Antarctica.