Students strengthen engineering skills

When most people imagine robotics, they envision C3PO from Star Wars or Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

While science fiction still plays an irreplaceable role in the inspiration process, engineers are making yesterday’s fantasies become today’s reality.

Because of robotics increasing capability to perform real life functions in medicine, aerospace, and countless other industries, LRHS students in the physics class are embarking on a new project that will glean tangible results: the construction of robotic arms.

While the constraints of the project delineate size, the robotic arms must be able to fit through a doorway and be able to be carried by two people, the project otherwise allows students to make the visions in their heads a reality.

Ideation is student Megan Buriak’s favorite stage of the design process.

She explained, “My favorite part of engineering is getting to create my ideas that I’ve had for a long time.”

The project divides the physics class into two groups, each of which is responsible for working through the engineering design process to innovate a robotic arm.

The team aspect appeals to Camden Smith.

“My favorite part about the engineering projects we do in class is probably the group projects we get to do,” he explained. “You get to see what’s going through everyone else’s heads.”

Pake Taylor enjoys engineering for the opportunity to problem solve.

He said, “My favorite part is the projects are hands on… [Through] problem solving we get to go through and test our design and how it handles the problem we are faced with.”

Similarly, Tucker Guiles said, “My favorite part about the projects we do in physics would have to be the hands on aspect. It gets me much more engaged to be actively working on something than… trying to work though massive amounts of book work.”

The students are early in the design phase for the robotic arms that will serve as their semester final, but already they have confronted many challenges.

Starting with the right ideas can often be the hardest part.

“Engineering is challenging because it makes you use your head and brainstorm many possible scenarios,” Smith said.

“Engineering challenges you by giving you hard tasks that need a solution found and many times, just like in the real world, there are sets of constraints and other factors that must be accounted for,” added Taylor.

For Buriak, one constraint for the robotic arm project is her current knowledge of physics.

She explained, “Engineering is a challenge because I still don’t quite understand all the math and science that applies to physics yet.”

Students must find a balance between their idealized designs and a design they actually are able to execute.

After experiencing one semester of physics and introducing themselves to what engineering is really like, several students are considering incorporating the skills from the class into a future career.

Buriak continued, “I am still undetermined about what career I want to go into, but I have narrowed it down to a few… Physics is helping me to prepare for a biomedical future.”

Even if the students don’t pursue a career in robotics, the problem solving skills and perseverance they gain from the project are still relevant to their futures.

“I’m not sure physics has changed what I want to do after school, but it has given me a broader outlook,” Smith explained.

In his senior year at LRHS, Taylor’s career plans have been strongly impacted by the class.

He explained, “Engineering has affected my career choice tremendously. I never gave thought to being an engineer before I took this class and now I’m heavily debating going into architectural engineering as a career… All from this class.”