Student / Mentor, desgn/build Poll

[Veselin Kolev]

I actually think this is a good poll question. The question is not "which of these two would you want to do", the question is "which of these two is better". Anyway, on the answer the question.

I think student designed / mentor built is the way to go. I am the "engineer"/mentor/machinist of my team. The kids from the high school design their own robot, and all I can do is help make sure it gets built. If it needs CNC work, I go get it CNC'd. If it needs to be watercut, I go get it watercut. The reason I build a lot of the robot is because none of the students know how to machine, and the school they go to does not have any kind of shop (and also does not like the liability involved with them working at my shop). I stick around during the design period and give tips on how to make the same gearbox or arm with less fabrication time. This not only helps the kids learn about simplicity in design, it also makes my job easier.

Now, once all the machinists have fabricated all the parts, we hand them to the students and let them assemble. Of course, you run into slight problems, plates need to be filed, screws need to be shortened, holes for rivets need to be drilled, stuff that students can do. Through the experience of assembly, the students learn how to design and build robots more efficiently. A student that is designing a drivetrain for the first time doesnt need to know how to weld or use a mill. When that student is a junior or a senior and is themself teaching younger students on design, then they can be taught fabrication if they want. However, I think it is very important that students first learn about design. Of course, different teams work differently, so this is just my opinion based on how my team works. I can understand if a person from another team would answer the exact opposite.