Innovation in Action: Can-Crushing Robot Competition at MIT
Last week I had a chance to see young innovators in action. I visited the Pappalardo Lab at MIT and watched a flurry of undergraduate students making last minute changes to their robot designs as they were in final testing stages. Here are a few videos from my visit (sorry about the low resolution).
These robots are built to compact ‘garbage’ (aluminum cans) and stack bales of ‘trash’ (wooden blocks) in a desolate urban landscape. In addition, these little bots must move around a large boot enclosing a lone green plant. Do these robot tasks sound familiar? While I was in the lab dedicated instructors worked into the night to help students fixing and tweaking their creations. You can check out the course website for more details about this robot competition. Also, here is an article describing some South Carolina students working on a similar project.
These projects are great fun. The instructors explained to me how building a physical robot can be an enlightening experience for students, particularly for those who have studied mechatronic systems in their coursework, but have never actually had to build a physical robot. You can expect to encounter many unanticipated problems along the way; friction, alignment, compliance, or other issues arise that were not anticipated by students in the design stage. Building a working, reliable robot forces students to solve difficult real-world problems that go beyond textbook understanding.
The skills these students are developing have tremendous value. Last week President Obama delivered a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, and discussed pressing issues that highlight why robot competitions and other technical learning opportunities are so important to our future. He explained that “in no area will innovation be more important than in the development of new technologies to produce, use, and save energy — which is why my administration has made an unprecedented commitment to developing a 21st century clean energy economy, and why we put a scientist in charge of the Department of Energy.” He added that “the nation that leads the world in 21st century clean energy will be the nation that leads in the 21st century global economy.” President Obama also announced his goal to bring research investments up to three percent of GDP, and declared that “we will not just meet, but we will exceed the level [of investment] achieved at the height of the space race.” It is reassuring to learn that energy, the environment, and research are such high priorities. We need this level of investment to maintain our leadership and our quality of life. To meet these lofty goals we must engage more Americans; designing and building these new energy systems, as well as advancing energy efficiency, will require world-class innovation and collaboration. Engineering design is playing a central role in this transition.
I have three questions for you today:
- What do you think of hands-on student projects like the one at MIT?
- How do you view the role of engineering education in securing a sustainable future?
- What about engineering literacy for the rest of us? How would a better understanding of engineering design by citizens and policy-makers help our transition to sustainability?
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