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Robojackets
A Georgia Tech
Student Organization
in the
Woodruff SchoolINTRODUCTION
Robojackets is a Georgia Tech student organization whose purpose is to compete in robotics competitions, promote robotics at Georgia Tech, give students an added outlet for obtaining skills vital to their education, and add value to the surrounding community through engineering projects involving robotics. The club started in 1999 with a classroom Battlebots competition and has since grown to more than thirty members. The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering supports the club.THE MEMBERS
The members represent all the engineering schools and computer science. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of robotics, work in fields other than each student's major is certain. Members with little or no experiencein designing robots join to learn skills such as welding, machining, fabrication, circuit design, sonar/radar methodologies, machine vision, program implementation, and software architecture. Members also polish managerial skills such as project management, fundraising, and oral and written communication because most competitions include a design report and a marketing presentation.
Aside from the fun of building a robot and working with the group, students gain hands-on experience working with CAD, CAE, and machine tools, testing equipment and procedures, and organizational skills.
PROJECTS
Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition
The Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition is at the cutting edge of engineering education. The challenge is to design, manufacture, and develop software for a fully autonomous, unmanned ground robotic vehicle that will negotiate an outdoor obstacle course.
The yearly competition attracks teams from more than twenty universities; it is organized by the Association of Unmanned Vehicles Systems International and Oakland University, and is sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers and DARPA. Our team is designing, building, and programming a vehicle for the May 2003 competition, which consists of four events: autonomous challenge, navigation challenge, Follow the Leader, and the presentation and marketing report.
Battlebots is a combat robotics
competition whose goal is either to destroythe opponent with a weapon or push them into dangerous hazards in the arena. Robots must survive axes, maces, saws, spears, and pneumatic hammers in order to win. The team is building and testing a battlebot-type robot for a competition later this year.
The Atlanta Hobby Robotics Club
holds an annual competition where the objective is to create a robot that will vacuum a typical household room without human input. The robot autonomously navigates around ordinary objects in a simulated room, complete with a chair, floor lamp, and speaker-box. In addition to a sound mechanical design, these robots require a vast array of carefully placed sensors along with specialized control algorithms implemented with microcontrollers. Components range from prefabricated sensors and boards to redesigned controller boards built from scratch. The group has participated in three competitions and has returned a third place finish.
The High School Lego Robot
Challenge competition is a weekend event held in the spring that promotes education in the fields of engineering and computer science. The students work in teams, and receive a LEGO Mindstorm Kit and other components to design, build, and program an autonomous robot for a competition. Students receive hands-on education and experience in engineering problem solving. Robojackets organizes the event and provides mentors for the participants.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization whose goal is to increase interest in science and engineering in high school, middle school, and elementary school students. Each year they develop and host a robotics competition for high schools around the country and the world. The high schools pair with sponsors to design and build a 130 lb. robot to compete in that year's sportslike game according to rules set by FIRST. These robots then compete in regional and national competitions. This will be the third year of involvement by the RoboJackets as mentors to local high schools.
GT FIRST is mentoring two local high schools teams for the competition as well as holding a 12-week engineering program for any interested high schools in the fall. The program focuses on teaching the basic principles of engineering, physics, electronics, and robotics through lectures, guest presentations, and numerous hands-on activities.
SPONSORS
Robojackets is responsible for its own fundraising and requires approximately $62,000 for all of the projects under this umbrella group. Each project has its own budget. Please let us know of your specific interest.
Full Circle Lighting Mr. Brad Geving (GT Alumnus) Georgia Institute of Technology CETL (NSF STEP Programs)
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Tech Student Foundation
Student Government AssociationMr. Ike Murray (GT Alumnus) Ru-Wood Company
CONTACTS
Robojackets is located in the Mechanical Engineering Research Building, commonly known as theTin building.
Austin Chen, President gte437i@prism.gatech.edu Erika Parra, Public Relations gte722y@prism.gatech.edu Dr. Wayne Book Faculty Advisor, GT FIRST
wayne.book@me.gatech.edu
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