Bio-Inspired Robots Featured at First Maker Workshop for 退伍军人
2018年6月6日
研讨会的与会者, Juan Cortez (left) and Davis Takhvar, 都是海军老兵, plan to continue their interest in robotics this fall as freshman majoring in mechanical engineering technology and electrical engineering, 分别.
基思·皮尔斯
Walking, flapping, swimming and running are things animals do every day. Most of us don't think about it. 然而, for decades those movements have inspired engineers and scientists seeking to improve technology.
In a recent workshop at bet8体育娱乐入口, veterans applied 3D printing techniques to build robots that mimic some of these animal movements.
"Nature offers examples of animals and insects with distinct morphological and biomechanical traits that enable them to reliably adapt and navigate in a wide range of unstructured terrains,Krishnanand Kaipa说, an 助理教授 of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Collaborative Robotics and Adaptive Machines Laboratory.
Bio-inspired robotics involves the design and production of materials and structures inspired by natural systems such as insects, 鸟, 哺乳动物和爬行动物. Because each animal has a unique mechanical design, engineers and scientists have long believed that bio-inspired robotics offers the potential to enhance capabilities in manufacturing, 卫生保健, 搜救, 和更多的.
Made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the workshop aimed to understand the impact of "making" for veterans pursuing STEM degrees. Maker education is hands-on learning that leverages the natural human instinct to create. 安东尼·迪安, assistant dean for research in the Batten College of Engineering and 技术, 领导NSF项目.
"We're using these workshops to test the maker pedagogy and its potential for improving the effectiveness of learning for military veterans in STEM disciplines,迪恩说。. "The workshops provide an introduction to engineering subjects and include computer-aided design (CAD), 快速原型, 3D printing and bio-inspired robotics."
Navy veteran and incoming ODU freshman Davis Takhvar, a native of San Luis Obispo, 加州, and a prospective electrical engineering major, 参加工作坊.
"It was very fun," Takhvar said. "I built a robot that did not walk very well, 说实话, but I learned that engineering is more than just one discipline. It's a combination of multiple skills from different fields that you need to utilize to complete a job."
Workshop instructors included Kaipa; Vukica Jovanovic, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology; Otilia Popescu, 助理教授 of electrical engineering technology, 和Karina Arcaute, 助理教授, STEM education and professional studies.
"This workshop provided only a glimpse into the type of robotics offered at ODU," Kaipa said. “在学年期间, students can explore many options in the growing field of robotics and move on to exciting interdisciplinary fields like soft robotics, bio-mimicry and autonomous robotics."
