Lightweight robot earns heavy attention at national competition
July 10, 2014
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A Bagley College team gained national attention with its innovative mining robot design at a recent NASA competition.
Mississippi State’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) recently attended the NASA Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center. In its first time competing, the team ranked 11th among the 36 teams that participated.
Weighing in at 10.8 kilograms, the team’s robot, “Aeries,” boasted the lightest weight of any entry in the five years that NASA has held this type of competition. The nearly all-carbon fiber design competed against other robots to mine, transport and deposit simulated Martian soil within 10 minute runs. Each robot was then evaluated on various criteria such as soil mined and autonomy.
As newcomers and one of the smallest teams, MSU team members faced technical, monetary and communication challenges throughout the four-day event. Team lead Christopher Collins said these challenges motivated and inspired the new competitors.
“The atmosphere of the competition lit a fire in all of our team members, pushing them to keep going and face any challenges,” Collins said. “The energy that the competition put into the team and the inspiration that it provided was incredible.”
Tausif Jamal, ASME chair, said that he looks forward to continuing MSU’s participation at the annual event in hopes of landing in the top five designs next year.
“I think our performance at the NASA robotic mining competition shows how capable Mississippi State students are and that we can compete at the top level and shine,” Jamal said. “We were in uncharted territory, but we did well.”
Team members (by hometown):
BAY SAINT LOUIS – Senior aerospace engineering major Alec Szczechowski
FOREST – Jeremy Batte, junior mechanical engineering major
PELHAM, Ala. – Kyle Griffin, sophomore mechanical engineering major
SLIDELL, La. – Team lead and senior mechanical engineering major, Christopher Collins; sophomore mechanical engineering major, Zachary Collins; senior computer engineering major, William “Billy” Davis; and sophomore computer engineering major, David Saucier
STARKVILLE – ASME chair, Tausif Jamal, senior mechanical engineering major
More information about the Bagley College of Engineering can be found at www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By: Erin Boozer