Hydraulic Arm Engineering Kit

Discover the powerful world of hydraulic engineering with the Hydraulic Arm Engineering science kit, an immersive hands-on STEM resource for aspiring engineers and robotics enthusiasts.

In this kit, students will experience the fundamentals of hydraulic systems firsthand, work through guided engineering challenges using syringes and tubing, and apply the engineering design process to create their very own hydraulic excavator arm. Students will use these engaging science experiments to explore the fundamental concepts of hydraulics—pressure, force multiplication, fluid dynamics, and mechanical advantage—while learning specialized engineering vocabulary and construction principles. The hydraulic arm kit comes with a full-color Student Workbook and comprehensive Teacher Guide. This kit contains activities and information that focuses on the phenomena of hydraulic power and mechanical engineering.

This Accelerate level kit will provide over 12 hours of learning, educating your students about hydraulic systems, engineering design, and the science behind how powerful machines work.

Hands-on activities include:

• Build initial hydraulic systems using syringes and tubing to understand pressure transfer
• Test different fluids (water, air, oil) to compare viscosity and compressibility
• Construct a scissor lift mechanism powered by hydraulic syringes
• Design and build a functional grabber claw using cardboard and hydraulics
• Assemble a complete hydraulic arm with boom, stick, and rotating turntable
• Apply the engineering design process to solve real-world challenges

Key questions students will explore:

• How does Pascal's Principle allow small forces to lift heavy loads?
• What makes liquids incompressible and how does this property power hydraulic machines?
• How do engineers use pivots and actuators to convert linear motion into rotational movement?
• What is the engineering design cycle and how do engineers iterate to improve their designs?
• How do hydraulic systems in nature (like spider legs and Venus flytraps) inspire human technology?

Our Hydraulic Arm Engineering kit is part of the Science Unlocked Accelerate series and is recommended for grades 3-7.

• Balls
• Binder clips
• Cardboard sheets
• Cup Grabber Template
• Cups
• Marker
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Skewers
• Straws
• Syringes, large
• Syringes, small
• Tape
• Tubing
• Vegetable Oil
• Wire, copper
• Zip ties

• NGSS science standards alignment

  • MS-ETS1-1: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions

  • MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem

  • MS-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of ech that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success

  • MS-ETS1-4: Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved