I have yet to teach this lesson, but when I do I expect to have a healthy discussion on what is considered a robot and what’s not. I feel the students will have their strong opinions on what is a robot and whats not even with having the requirements given. My extended activity would be to put them and groups and have them design a robot that would help them do something in their evryday life. They would have to use the robot at least 3 times a week to help them with something. They would have to explain what it does and what classifieds their invention as a robot. Initially I would follow the lesson step by step before doing any modifications. I would use any resources I could find on what a robot is before starting the lesson. I want to make sure I fully explain to the students why an item is a robot. I would love to have as many examples as possible.
Fantastic idea! I like that students would be designing a robot that would help them with everyday life. That incorporates problem solving, knowing what limitations robots might have, commands robots could understand and follow (Alexa and Siri have limitations and need to be instructed in a very specific way).
If you have no robots, the Museum of Science and Industry offers excellent lesson plans about robotics.
This is a fun resource. It could make for an interesting jigsaw activity for students to look at a variety of robots, what their intended uses are and how others are using them.