My Rock, Paper, Scissors Robot Never Loses (+9 Other Inventions)
From Mark Rober
19 min4th5th6thScienceTechnology
Summary
Mark shows ten of his inventions, starting with a robot that wins rock-paper-scissors every time by reacting faster than a human can move. A tour of clever engineering and problem-solving.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
The winning robot senses your hand and reacts in a split second, following a set of ordered steps — an algorithm — faster than you can.
- How does the robot 'win' every time — is it magic or fast sensing and reacting?
- What ordered steps might the robot follow to choose its move?
- Which of the ten inventions solved a problem you've had?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: invention, algorithm, sensor, design.
Try it: Write the step-by-step 'rules' a robot could follow to always beat you at rock-paper-scissors.