Stylish Stylus

Overview

In this activity, groups of 4-5 students will collaboratively design, build, test and modify a capacitive stylus for use with a variety of touchscreen devices.

Duration: Up to (3) 40-minute sessions

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Group or Individual: Group

Learning Goals

By the end of the lesson groups will:

• Investigate materials that have different conductive characteristics
• Work collaboratively to critically and creatively solve the design problem
• Conceptually ideate and create a design meeting specifications and constraints
• Communicate using mathematical/scientific vocabulary when conferencing in small/large groups
• Utilize mathematical calculations accurately to build a 3D printed concept
• Apply geometric principles to dimension and measure irregular shapes or difficult lines
• Understand the role of the body in completing a circuit

Materials

• blank paper
• pens/pencils
• 3D Printer filament for printing (and scheduled time on the printer)
• scrap cardboard or card stock for initial prototypes
• plasticine for initial prototypes
• hot glue gun/glue sticks
• 3D printer such as the Cubicon Single+
• slicing software such as Cubicreator or Simplify3D
• licensed CAD software such as Fusion 360, Inventor, TinkerCAD or SolidWorks
• computer and mouse for each student or group for CAD design

Prerequisite Skills

• Familiarity with TinkerCAD or other 3D printing software