Nancy Caukin
Eagleville School
Principles of Technology 

Dr. Eric J. Barth - Center for Intelligent Mechatronics  

My research was on an engine that was invented in 1816 but is finding new uses with new technology. The Stirling engine is an external combustion engine that is very efficient and quiet. It is an elegant machine that has found uses in industry to generate power for submarines, yachts, by NASA for deep space missions, and now potentially for humanoid robots. In the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics, which is funded by the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power, Dr. Barth and Jose Riofrio are researching and designing a fluid power system using free-piston technology to power humanoid robots. My role in this lab was to investigate Stirling engines and build a working model of the engine through trial and error to better understand its complexities.

Through this experience, I am writing a Legacy Module title "Stirling Engine and Junkyard Wars." This curriculum is designed for physics or chemistry students where motion, friction, gas laws, torque, angular momentum, and thermodynamics are learned. Students are given the challenge to build a working model of a Stirling Engine as a competition on the Junkyard Wars TV show. In the process they must learn what a Stirling engine is, how it works, the implications, advantages, disadvantages, and uses.