In only the last few decades, robotics has gone from being a fantastic creation of science fiction to an exciting new field of engineering and technology with near limitless possibilities. Sure, the robots of today aren’t exactly T-800s, R2D2s or Wall-Es, but advances in technology have brought the dream of autonomous robotics closer to reality than ever before.
And now, students at Eastern Michigan can try their hand at creating the next generation of robots by joining the EMU Robotics Club.
The club was started by senior electronic engineering technology major Nathan Jones, who transferred to EMU last year from Oakland Community College. Jones has a background in industrial robotics but has dreamt of creating what he refers to as “super robots,” autonomous robots programmed to carry out a vast array of tasks.
While industrial robotics is the use of a human-controlled robotic system such as an arm in an industrial setting, autonomous robotics involves creating a mobile system that has been programmed to complete specific tasks without the need for human guidance. Robotic arms and other similar systems have been commonplace in factories and assembly lines for decades.
Autonomous robotics, on the other hand, is a relatively recent technological development. The idea is these robots can be used in situations where it is too dangerous or impractical to send a human, making it an incredibly important field of research for the U.S. military.
“Instead of sending ground troops into a heavily populated area where there’s maybe landmines, it may be better to drop a robot from the tank into the area first, who can spot hidden troops or maybe landmines autonomously and send a GPS signal back to the tank via satellite,” Jones said.
The club’s first project was to build a robot for the International Ground Vehicle Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC – a laboratory for advanced military research headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI.
TARDEC is one of several military research groups that hold competitions throughout the country and invite organizations and companies to submit their designs for new autonomous robots. The winner of an event such as this past summer’s International Ground Vehicle Competition are rewarded with $10,500 to invest in future projects, which can be just the boost a program needs in order to make it big time.
As Jones explained, the robotics program from Virginia Tech expanded rapidly after taking top place in several competitions over a few years. The group eventually quit competing and signed a contract with the military to research and design robots professionally.
But winning the competition isn’t easy. The group has to design, build and program its robot from scratch with little to no guidance. This also involves getting funding, locating equipment and finding a place to test the creation. Only then can the group enter the competition that Jones described.
“There are two lanes set up. The robot must see the lanes, drive in between the lanes, avoid obstacles such as construction barrels, roll over speed bumps and things of that nature”
“There’s also a design competition,” he added. “You have to make you vehicle noticeably high-tech, that gives more points to your vehicles. And then there’s a GPS competition where the robot has to get GPS signals from a satellite and maneuver and navigate to a certain location.”
Jones and his team weren’t able to get a robot up and running in time for this year’s Ground Vehicles Competition, but are currently hard at work preparing for next year’s event. In addition to ground vehicles, Jones hopes to expand into aerial and aquatics, which have their own competitions sponsored by the Air Force and Navy.
So, what does it take to get involved with the Robotics Club?
“We completely keep it open to everyone,” Jones said. “I encourage everybody to come, just hang out.”
You don’t need to have experience in robotics to join. In fact, you don’t even need to be interested in science or technology at all. As Jones explained, the more members with varied skills the group can attract, the more successful they will be.
“I actually saw students who were art students who would just take a class in robotics to take pictures of them because they thought it was cool,” he said.
The group is looking for people from all backgrounds to help with the large amount of work that goes into designing and creating a robot. While a lot of the designing and production of the robot is very technical and requires backgrounds in engineering, computer programming, electronics and mechanics, the group also needs people who are able to draw prototypes, write reports and help find vendors.
The group doesn’t have any events coming up this year, but they have plenty to do in preparation for next year’s events, which begins with the International Ground Vehicle Competition next May in Michigan.
The group meets on the third weekend of every month and its next meeting is this Saturday, September 19, in Student Center room 104. For more information visit the group’s page on www.emustudentorgs.com.
