"Familiar Looking" Table-Top Robotics Project

[Vince]

Two years ago we documented how the Robovation kits could be used in a college course on engineering design. The paper was just published this week on the on-line Journal for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (http://www.auburn.edu/research/litee/jstem/viewissue.php) . Even though there is a new product, folks might enjoy seeing how we used the "old version".

[sanddrag]

Looks good. I wish more schools would get robotics into their ME programs. I will be entering my 5th quarter and haven't come across anything like this yet (in a class). The only class project I've had so far was a rubber band powered car competition (which I won, of course) to travel 12 feet in as little time as possible. At an open house day, I saw some 4th and 5th year students demonstrading an EDU-bot project they worked on. This kind of worries me that ME students aren't being introduced to the principles of design, fabrication, assembly, and contruction (mostly with regard to robotics applications) until very late in their college education.

For all of you in FRC, stick with it! The stuff we all do here in FRC is sometimes even higher level than some engineering students reach in their whole college career. Many colleges probably don't even offer any projects comparable (or of the caliber of) FRC. So, drain every last possible ounce you can out of it during your time in HS because when you hit college, you will be taking a good amount of time off from real world type applications, projects, and problem solving.

As one last word, you most likely will not get anything even CLOSE to FRC in your college classes. So, stick with FRC as being a team mentor, and join a college club that does design and fabrication.

Oh yeah, and thanks for the article.

[JVN]

This kind of worries me that ME students aren't being introduced to the principles of design, fabrication, assembly, and contruction (mostly with regard to robotics applications) until very late in their college education.

...The stuff we all do here in FRC is sometimes even higher level than some engineering students reach in their whole college career.

Many of the things we do in FRC (and those things you listed) are not considered "higher level". Many colleges do not include these things within their core-programs, but instead offer them as electives, or through extra-curricular activities or both.

Choose your school wisely.

Sanddrag, when you hit the "higher level" stuff, you'll know it ;). That other stuff is just fun.

[JVN]

Two years ago we documented how the Robovation kits could be used in a college course on engineering design. The paper was just published this week on the on-line Journal for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (http://www.auburn.edu/research/litee/jstem/viewissue.php) . Even though there is a new product, folks might enjoy seeing how we used the "old version".

Vince,
Thanks for sharing! The paper looks great. The potential of the EDU/Vex programs in the educational realm is VERY exciting. Thanks for being a ground-breaker in this.

-John

[Sean Schuff]

For those of you who would like to get a flavor for engineering while in high school, encourage your school to look into the Project Lead the Way curriculum. It is by far the best engineering curriculum out there for secondary education, and I’ve looked at a lot of them for our district’s engineering charter school. (Just ask JVN – student of Paul Kane, one of the originators of the PLTW curriculum) It is not the cheapest program around but it is the best value for the price, hands down.

The curriculum approaches engineering from a design/creativity/problem solving/teamwork perspective which is a far cry from your typical CAD class. We can teach anyone to use a piece of CAD software or to program a robot. Those are really just tools used to solve problems. The focus should be on giving students the opportunity to solve open-ended problems with creative solutions. It sounds like Vince and the Coast Guard Academy are doing just that! Kudos!

Check out my signature line below – Woody nailed it! Focus on coming up with unique solutions to complex problems and expand your mind. Sometimes you’ve got to teach yourself or search out the means to learn what you want to learn the way you want to learn it. And while you’re at it, think outside the box.

Sanddrag – I hope you get to experience some of this soon. It makes the rest of your education all that much more relevant.

*climbs down off of teacher soapbox*

Good Luck!

Sean

[Rich Kressly]

Vince,
Congratulations on the publication of a very important article. Your work has broken a lot of ground and is paving the path to a more interactive/ problem solving classroom at both the secondary and post-secondary levels.

[Cyberguy34000]

Our team is made up of several high schools in the district, it creates some very interesting situations considering that there's quite a bit of rivalry going on. Though robotics is one of the few places where we lay those aside. Anyways, our lead mentor actually is in charge of a "Project: Lead the Way" curriculum at our rival school. Kind of cool, but why he's teaching it over there instead of a more worthy school (E.G. Mine) still confuses me :)