Construction competition: Which climbing robot will get the coconut?

Design competition

19.07.2018, 18:35

Which climbing robot will get the coconut?

In the design competition sponsored by Schunk at Heilbronn University, participants had to build a robot that climbed to lofty heights and plucked a coconut from a palm tree.

Images

"Who will steal the coconut?" - was the motto of the design competition at Heilbronn University. © Heilbronn University

Coconuts sometimes hang high - the first semester students from the Mechatronics and Robotics course were able to experience this in the design competition at Heilbronn University. The competition, sponsored by Schunk with prize money of 1,000 euros, was a real challenge for the young engineers: a self-constructed climbing robot had to overcome a height difference of three meters in order to pick a tennis ball - the coconut - from a palm tree (traverse) at lofty heights.

A total of five first semester teams took to the starting line to pick coconuts with their climbing robots at almost dizzying heights. © Heilbronn University

The fact that only two of the five teams ultimately mastered the task completely shows how challenging the assignment was this semester. Within just two months, the four female and 17 male students had to find and evaluate solutions, design the construction, build the climbing robot and create project documentation.

The winning teams of the design competition together with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wehl (3rd from left) and Herbert Streit (2nd from right) from Heilbronn University and Schunk development engineer Michael Franz (left). © Heilbronn University

In particular, overcoming the height proved to be a challenge in practice. The jury, which included Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wehl and Herbert Streit from the Faculty of Mechanics and Electronics, as well as Schunk development engineer Michael Franz, rewarded the winning teams with prizes. From Wolfgang Wehl's point of view, the challenging competition paid off: "The design competition showed that there is a lot of effort and sweat between theory and successful practice. It's often the little things that make the difference between success and failure." From Michael Franz's point of view, this year's competition succeeded in raising students' awareness of complex interrelationships and training both grit and perseverance. According to Franz, these are both qualities that are required every day in day-to-day business if you want to operate successfully on the market. as

You might also be interested in

Additive Fertigung online

3D-Druck-Service für additiv gefertigte Bauteile

Daten hochladen, Material und Anzahl auswählen, Bestellung abschicken – vergleichbar mit einem Online-Fotodienst können Konstrukteure und Anlagenplaner beim Schunk-3D-Printservice Greifsystem- und Spanntechnikkomponenten zur additiven Fertigung in...

Robotik

Plug & Work

Der Trend zur massenhaften Automatisierung verleiht gerade kleinen und leichten Robotern enormen Schub. Leichtgewichte beispielsweise von Universal Robots sind harmlos im Zusammenspiel mit dem Menschen und obendrein schnell programmierbar.

OEM-Partnerschaft

Siemens und Schunk: Simulation für Einsteiger

Siemens PLM Software und Schunk wollen den Einstieg in die Simulation von Handhabungslösungen vereinfachen. Das Einsteigerpaket besteht aus dem Mechatronics Concept Designer von Siemens und einer Komponentenbibliothek digitaler Zwillinge von Schunk....

Humanoid robotics from Germany

Igus launches service robots for everyday industrial use

Humanoid robotics: With the Iggy Rob Home, igus presents a service robot for industry and everyday life. What's behind it.

New sales and service unit in Gurugram

Yamaha Motor expands robotics business in India

Yamaha Motor is opening a new Robotics Business Support Division in India to strengthen sales and service in the growing robotics market. The unit will support SMT systems and industrial robots, among other things, and will be complemented by a...

Robotics and autonomous order picking

Locus Robotics acquires Nexera Robotics and expands autonomous warehouse logistics

Locus Robotics takes over Nexera Robotics and may have taken a decisive step towards truly universal warehouse automation. A new gripping technology should now make possible what was previously considered difficult to automate.

How vacuum becomes mobile

Modular factories, mobile robotics and rising energy prices are fundamentally changing automation. One solution: into the future without compressed air. Electric vacuum systems reduce costs, save energy and support flexible manufacturing and...

Manufacturing technologies