Robot 'cub' navigates contest

Today marks the latest in a series of high points for the University of Cincinnati Robotics Team. They will compete in the government-sponsored DARPA Challenge, hoping to move into the next round alongside some stiff competition.

DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the officials at the challenge will be expecting a lot. The team's latest creation is Bearcat Cub, a robot armed with wheels and basic decision-making capabilities, which will navigate some tough terrain.

The Robotics Team members are proud of their work and excited about their upcoming challenges, but they might be even more enthusiastic about robotics itself and the possibilities it presents.

"You can't help but be affected by their enthusiasm," Rayjan Wilson, a mechanical engineering graduate student and member of the team, said about the club.

For this current challenge, they've already succeeded in one set of eliminations and hope to pass on to the next level, which will narrow 119 groups down to 40. They're confident they'll be one of those 40 groups going to the semifinals in September. $2 million will go to the winning team.

The club offers a chance for students to create something unique. When they needed a part to keep Bearcat Cub's motor and gearbox aligned, they made it themselves, and nearly all the programming comes from scratch. All of their input results in creating something unique.

"You're creating something that's real, it's physical; you can interact with it," Wilson said.

Everything their robots do is "pretty much entirely our own programming," said club member Steve Climer, a fourth-year student in computer engineering. He said that since the robot has few physical pieces it "doesn't show what's really going on."

Bearcat Cub is equipped with a computer and a global positioning system, among other devices. It needs to be slightly rugged for the DARPA challenge, which will take contestants to the desert in the final rounds. Bearcat Cub has panels to keep the sand out if its equipment while it avoids overheating.

Two digital cameras and a laser scanner are some of the components helping the robot see, which will be especially important on June 13 when the team takes part in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition. Bearcat Cub will navigate an obstacle course once with the team's help, and then use all its programming and equipment to complete the course on its own.

Different challenges call for a wide array of physical tasks. Some team members recently took their senior design project to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and placed second in the Midwest regional competition. UC club member Dean Clodfelder described their robot as a "bulk material transporter," which carried 40 pounds of rice up a set of stairs in 10 seconds.

The team has been taking on robotic challenges for years, often placing well in competitions. In 1995 it placed first in the design competition. At the 2003 competition it placed third in the Waypoint Navigation Competition.

Members have a variety of backgrounds when it comes to robotics. Some had never worked with robotics until they joined the team, others joined when they had senior projects in robotics.

Ernie Hall, the team's faculty advisor and a robotics professor, teaches classes that have been stepping stones for students interested in joining the club. Much of their funding comes from the University Funding Board and the Graduate Student Grant Association.

And the team is looking for new members.

"The interdisciplinary aspect is important," said club president Justin Gaylor, a fourth-year computer science student. Team members are willing to teach interested students what they need to know. "Anyone who's interested in robotics can contribute to our team," Gaylor said. "Our purpose is for people to learn about rob ots."

The club welcomes interested people at team meetings, which start at 1 p.m. Fridays in 551 Baldwin.

Because the challenges are so varied, the team wants to attract a diverse group to the club.

"Diversity's great. You get people from different backgrounds who see it from different angles," Wilson said, stressing that the social aspect of the club is equally rewarding.

The Robotics Team will take part in the DARPA challenge at 1:30 p.m. today on Sigma Sigma Commons. Everyone is welcome to come cheer them on.