SolidWorks Express | January 2007

Since the airing of Battlebots, a TV series where homemade robots go metal-to-metal in a battle arena, student robot competitions have taken off. Bot building is proving a viable a way to encourage students to pursue careers in engineering, math, and science. And SolidWorks Corporation is helping out by expanding its sponsorship of these youthful competitions. Four robot design programs—BEST, Botball, Battlebots IQ, and MATE ROV—are the latest to receive donations of design and analysis software from SolidWorks Corporation.

“Our goal is not only to give kids a competitive edge in making better robots but also to enable them to work with real-world tools so they get a better understanding of what an engineering job is like,” says Marie Planchard, SolidWorks director of education.

Here are a few more details on the competitions.

A student shows off the robot his team built for the Botball non-destructive regional tournament.

BEST Robotics

Tired of hanging out the laundry? “Laundry Quandary” is the creative theme for the 2006-2007 BEST (stands for boosting engineering, science, and technology) Robotics competition. Students in grades 7-12 form teams to design and build a radio-controlled robot that can hang up the wet laundry and take down the dry.

This competition is unique, not only for its imaginative themes, but also because teams get to join for free, giving schools equal opportunity to take part in the fun and learning. When the competition kicks off in September, school teams get kits of equipment (motors, r/c units, batteries) and raw materials (string, metal) to build with. As of September 2007, they will also get copies of SolidWorks® software to boot. With only six weeks to build the robots, the software gives them an edge.

“3D CAD software changes the quality of the design work and enables the teams to work smarter,” says George Blanks, Director of K-12 Engineering Outreach. “In future competitions, these students will know before building if a robot’s too heavy or whether it will work.”

Botball
Judging by the name of this competition, you might guess it had something to do with robots carrying balls around. You’d guess right. Among other tasks, placing colored balls in the right colored goals is part of what Botball robots need to do. Botball teaches students in grades 7-12 how to build, program and document their own team of robots that compete in a non-destructive regional tournament.

A group of students surround their work-of-art for the Botball competition.

“Our regionals start in January at the Oklahoma workshop, and that will be the first region to receive the SolidWorks software,” says Jenny Gigsby, public outreach coordinator for Kids Institute for Practical Robots, the organization that runs Botball. “I think SolidWorks is really going to aid in the prototype period, because it enables the students see if their ideas work virtually before they actually build the robots.”

Bottlebots IQ
A spin-off from the creators of BattleBots, Battlebots IQ, or BBIQ, is for students in grades 7-12, community colleges, universities, and technology centers. It features a program of studies that culminates in a competition in the spring. Schools can implement the class as a standing robotics class or integrate it with another course.

According to the website, “BBIQ is training a workforce that knows how to troubleshoot, problem solve, and invent new technology….the kind that will keep corporations thriving in an ever changing climate of globalization and outsourcing.”

Looks like now, the program may also be training a workforce that already knows how to use SolidWorks.

Members of the Six Rivers Charter High School (California) ROV team make some final adjustments to their vehicle. Photo courtesy of NASA Johnson Space Center.

MATE ROV
Underwater exploration is the unique spin of this robotics contest. MATE (stands for Marine Advanced Technology Education) coordinates student remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) competitions that take place in the United States, Canada and Hong Kong. Student in grades 7-12, college and universities participate in the events.

The goal is to develop underwater vehicles with specialized tools like a gripper hand, cutting hand or water sampler that do the work people can’t. In recognition of International Polar Year, the 2007 competition will be held in Newfoundland, Canada, with focus on polar science and exploration.

In addition to the fun factor, MATE ROV competitions also connect students with working professionals in the marine industry. “Our real focus is on developing the next generation of marine scientists and engineers to support marine activities,” says Jill Zandle, MATE Center associate director and ROV competition coordinator.

“We think the SolidWorks sponsorship is fabulous. It puts a powerful tool in the hands of these students and it’s going to step up their learning a big notch,” says Zandle.