Subtopic: Applying the Design Process

Advances in Neurotechnology
In this video segment from Greater Boston, learn how a man with severe motor disabilities can operate a computer and move a prosthetic hand by simply thinking the commands, thanks to the combined efforts of bioengineers and neuroscientists.

Airplanes: Designing for Stealth
Explore this NOVA interactive activity to see how engineers have modified a military plane's sound, shape, and heat emissions to minimize detection.

Anatomy of a Rover
In this interactive activity from NOVA, learn about the sophisticated scientific instruments on two identical robotic rovers that have explored Mars — Spirit and Opportunity.

Balloon Brain: Designing a Helmet
In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members are challenged to design protective headgear for a water balloon using what they know about the properties of the materials available.

The Bridge Challenge
In this interactive activity from the Building Big Web site, use your knowledge of bridge design to match the right bridge to the right location in a fictitious city.

Building Simple Machines: A Glass of Milk, Please
In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast shows how the 34 steps in their Rube Goldberg invention use everything from gravity to carbon dioxide gas in order to accomplish one simple task: pouring a glass of milk.

Capturing Carbon
In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, a scientist, inspired by his daughter's science fair project, develops a synthetic "tree" to remove excess carbon dioxide from the air.

Clifton Suspension Bridge
This video segment from Building Big illustrates the basic design principles of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England.

Columns: Finding the Strongest Shape
In this video segment, members of the ZOOM cast experiment by bending and folding sheets of paper into various shapes to see which shape will support the weight of a heavy book.

The Dam Challenge
In this interactive activity from the Building Big Web site, investigate dams in distress and decide if they should be repaired, removed, or left alone.

Design: Building a House
This collection of images follows the process of building a house from cutting the trees and making the bricks to finishing construction.

Designing a Puff Mobile
The air you exhale can power a puff mobile. Watch as the ZOOM cast races their air-powered designs to see which design features are the most successful.

Designing Balloon Cars
Can the air in a balloon power a car? Watch students from Weston, Massachusetts, demonstrate their balloon car designs in this video adapted from ZOOM.

Design Inspired by Nature
In this stills collage produced for Teachers' Domain, see several examples of everyday inventions that were either inspired by nature or are similar in form and function to plants or animals.

Easy-Fit Design
In this video produced for Teachers' Domain, Chi-An Wang, a mechanical engineering graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describes her process when working with New Balance to design a new triathlon shoe.

Engineering for the Red Planet
In this video segment from NASA, robotics researcher Ayanna Howard uses engineering to improve the intelligence of robots in space exploration.

Fire Safety in High Rises
This video segment adapted from NOVA explains how the sprinkler revolutionized fire safety and also features developments in fire-safety design for high-rise buildings.

Firth of Forth Cantilever Bridge
This video segment from Building Big: "Bridges" demonstrates the basic design of a cantilever bridge by looking at Scotland's Firth of Forth Railway Bridge.

Funny Boat
In this video segment adapted from FETCH!™, contestants are challenged to use materials from a garbage dump to build a boat that floats, can be steered, and is propelled by something other than oars.

Geodesic Dome
This video segment adapted from Building Big highlights the evolution of the geodesic dome, designed by legendary architect and inventor, Buckminster Fuller.

Glider Boy
Meet 12-year-old Jesse, the designer of dozens of gliders, in this ZOOM video segment. Some of his gliders fit in your hand, while others can only be stored in the garage. Watch his gliders go and learn why they fly.

Hoover Dam
This video segment from Building Big: "Dams," demonstrates the basic principals at work in the Hoover Dam, a concrete gravity dam that also makes use of the properties of the arch.

How Do You Keep Lemonade Cool?
This video segment adapted from FETCH!™ shows contestants experimenting with different materials to see which is the best insulator and thus best able to keep the lemonade at their stand cool for customers.

How Would You Turn a Bolt in Space?
In this fast-paced NASA Brain Bites™ video, an astronaut demonstrates the impact of microgravity on the use of tools in space.

The Impact of Technology: Cars
This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey looks at the invention of the automobile and the development of mass production.

Kid Inventor: Newspaper Crank
In this video segment from ZOOM, Andrew demonstrates how his invention helps him get ready for his paper route.

Kid Inventor: The Couch Protector
Want to keep your dog off the couch? In this video segment from ZOOM, Jason demonstrates his invention that does just that: a couch protector.

LEGO® Robots
In this segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members use computers to program a robot in preparation for the FIRST LEGO® League Challenge tournament.

Mars Dead or Alive: A Hostile Environment
This NOVA video segment describes the challenges presented by the frozen desert environment of Mars to NASA engineers designing two robots that will journey millions of miles to the red planet.

Name That Shell
The way a firework shell is designed and assembled determines the shape and color of a firework display. Choose a video clip and try to identify each firework variety in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site.

Off the Grid
This interactive activity produced for Teachers' Domain presents users with three hypothetical scenarios in which they are challenged to design a wind power system that will meet their electrical needs.

Pilotless Flight: Timeline of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Explore this NOVA interactive timeline and discover the many technological innovations in the history of unmanned flight, from hot-air balloons to miniature flying robots.

Raising an Obelisk: An Engineering Puzzle
This video segment adapted from NOVA follows two teams as they each test a different engineering design in an effort to explain how ancient Egyptians raised a giant stone obelisk.

Robofly
Featuring slow-motion footage of insects in flight, this video adapted from NOVA explores the engineering challenge of designing a robotic aerial vehicle that flies like a bug.

Segway Technology: What's Newton Got to Do with It?
What do the laws of physics have to do with engineering? Find out in this video segment featuring inventor Dean Kamen and his inventions, the IBOT and the Segway.

Shapes That Make Structures Strong
Students explore the various shapes engineers choose to make structures strong -- in particular, triangles, arches, and domes.

The Skyscraper Challenge
In this interactive activity from the Building Big Web site, investigate hypothetical structural emergencies and figure out how to repair them.

Testing with Models
In this video segment from Cyberchase, learn about the importance of creating a model as the CyberSquad designs a giant "Trojan Ducky" that will help them enter a fort without being noticed.

Train Truss Animation
This animated video segment from Building Big: "Bridges" demonstrates how a truss bridge is designed to balance the weight of a train as it travels over it.