As part of Geek Week celebrations, Kennesaw State University hosted a Robot Demonstration with a Bacon Reception Thursday, March 17.
Geek Week started about four years ago on the Marietta campus, formerly known as Southern Polytechnic State University, to help students take a break from life and embrace the world of geek. Ever since then, it has been a running tradition that has now been incorporated on the Kennesaw campus.
“We wanted to make it a novelty,” Ron Lunk, executive director of Student Involvement, said. “Playing with robots while eating lots of bacon.”
Several student organizations and teams brought their mechanical friends to the event to show off their capabilities. Students were able to operate the robots that were on display, which ranged from one that resembled a small forklift to one with a hand for grabbing. There was also a demonstration that allowed students to controlled a robot in a water-filled glass tank.
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team was one of the groups in attendance. The team builds submarine robots to compete in the AUVSI International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle competition each year, featuring over 40 countries worldwide.
The AUV team prides itself on making all of its parts by hand, with the exception of the motors. The members use 3-D printers along with Computer Numeric Control to bring their robots to life. The AUV team held a demonstration in front of the Social Science building in a huge aquarium with a prototype robot to show students how it works.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team, open to all majors, is always looking for talented students to join their team. The group hopes to come to the Kennesaw campus more often and host demonstrations to help educate students about their program.
The Mechatronics Department, also represented at the event, specializes in automation and synthesizes mechanical and electrical engineering.
“All robotic systems are mechatronic, but not all mechatronic systems are robotic,” said Tim Fisher, a senior teaching and research assistant.
No robots were harmed in the making of Geek Week. For more information on joining a team, contact Student Involvement.
