Of all the various exhibitions in the museum, one of the busiest areas that caught my attention was the Garage. While it was not the most wondrous and delightful in terms of colors, sounds, or lights (general aesthetic), it was a space that truly engaged the children in concrete tasks. Obvious mechanical processes were visible to the children, particularly for projects such as the hand-operated roller coaster for balls. In addition, projects like that and the wheel track give children a large in role in defining the motion and course of the objects they interacted with.

Referring back to our visit to the CMU Children’s School, the Garage offered Autonomy, Initiative, and Industry to museum goers. Children could play autonomously, engaging with simple objects such as wheels, cogs, balls, and levers. They could also demonstrate initiative through activities such as building custom race tracks or decide how to create their vehicles. And lastly, because the Garage is full of visual tasks that showcase the results of each child’s actions, like seeing the parachutes land correctly after engaging pulleys, the children are able to show industry.

Upon seeing the projects in the Garage and how they piqued and preserved children’s curiosity and creativity, I definitely see a place in the Garage for our Mimicking Robot Arm. Because of the mechanical characteristics of our project, it would be well-suited to the motion-oriented theme of the Garage. Additionally, our project’s focus on collaboration to move objects with the arm conforms to the interactive nature of the room.