Autodesk Digital STEAM Applied Mechanics is one of three STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math — apps from Autodesk, known for many professional-level engineering and architecture products. A taunting cat and crafty mouse lead kids through five mini-games that demonstrate different mechanical principles: “Energy & Work,” “Force,” “Power,” “Loading,” and “Mechanisms.” Kids can replay games as many times as they want to, but even if they don’t win, they can move on to others.
Brief instructions introduce each game, and kids can read about the concepts and see diagrams of it in action, but they’ll use a lot of trial and error in their hands-on application of the concepts within each game. In “Energy & Work,” kids navigate a hot air balloon using fuel for energy. In “Force,” they use a catapult to fire balls at the enemy cat. In “Loading,” kids use a crane to load varied weights onto trucks. In “Power,” kids have to land a spaceship on the moon, and in “Mechanism,” they navigate a flying machine and collect cheese along the way.