Students’ robot grabs building blocks of competition success
April 17, 2008
STARKVILLE, Miss- Students in the Bagley College of Engineering recently competed in a regional competition pitting their robotics skills against those of engineers from 41 other schools in the southeast.
Designed by a team of seniors in the department of electrical and computer engineering, MSU’s student built robot took second place honors at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Southeast Region 3 student hardware competition. The competition, which was held in Huntsville, Ala., required that autonomous robots navigate a rocky course and retrieve wooden blocks. Different colors denoted point values for each block.
Named LUNAR, for lunar unmanned navigation and acquisition robot, MSU’s device outscored its closest competition by 25 points in the first rounds of the competition to earn the top seed in the final, head-to-head portion of the event. This led spectators to declare that MSU’s robot was the most fundamentally sound.
“We determined early in the design stage that simpler was better for this competition. We made sure our robot was able to perform the necessary tasks and spent weeks testing its abilities, trying to account for every possible situation,” said Theresa Weisenberger, the team captain.
The team’s decision to stick with tested methods of block detection and retrieval proved wise as other teams faced problems such as interference with magnetic compasses and inaccuracy with robotic arms early in the event. LUNAR’s abilities and sound structure even allowed the robot to withstand blows from other schools’ devices. However, light, the one variable the students could neither control nor account for, proved to be LUNAR’s downfall in the final round of the competition.
With their competitors robot stuck on a block, unable to move, it seemed as though MSU would claim the championship for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately, changing lighting conditions caused the robot’s sensors to malfunction, forcing it to deviate from its search path. This caused LUNAR to inadvertently release the competitor’s robot from its lodged position allowing the University of Alabama at Birmingham to win the competition even though MSU had outscored them by 105 points in the first round.
“The team had a strong second place finish in this competition, proving that the Bagley College of Engineering at MSU continues to have a tradition of excellence in designing and building outstanding robots. We have placed in the top three for the past several years,” said Bryan Jones, the team’s faculty advisor. “It’s a pleasure to see that the team’s dedication, hard work, and top-notch engineering talent faired so well in competition.”
IEEE is a nonprofit organization with global membership. It serves to provide engineers with a source of professional and technical information while fostering interests in the engineering profession. With nearly 80,000 student members, the group works to encourage and grow students’ abilities in the fields of electrical and electronics engineering through events like the annual Student Hardware Competition.