Robot - Invent for construction workers.

The Robot and Machinery Laboratory (RoMeLa) of the Technical University in Virginia won the grand prize in an international robot design competition held in 2008 with winding robots that can climb columns designed to replace the dangerous work of construction workers while climbing high or examining the deep bridge of water.

Automatic robots like these are designed to be able to climb scaffolds and tall buildings by wrapping them around a road probe or an equalizer and then roll forward using a knife movement. dynamic. By using internal sensors and cameras, these robots will be responsible for examining the construction structure and holding dangerous jobs that are still being done by humans. Dennis Hong, director of the Virginia Institute of Technology's robot and machine lab, is the project's expert adviser.

Each robot is about 1 meter long and has a very unique way of moving. 'And this is a really mischievous robot , ' he added.

Today, the need for automation equipment is growing. Mr. Hong quoted from a report from the US Department of Labor about the death toll of construction workers on the site to 1,226 in 2006, up 3% from 2005. He said there was a similar report. so about 809 workers' deaths from collapsing scaffolding.

'Unlike the worms that are being developed for its swaying movement, the climbing posture requires this robot to wrap around the frame in a spiral and twist its entire body to climb up and Climb down by twisting or curling up around the frame. '

The HyDRAS meandering robot model can climb the column by changing the swaying motion of the joints into a curving movement of the entire body to climb on anything with a column-shaped structure.(Photo: From Virginia Tech)

HyDRAS robots operate by using electric motors, while CIRCA robots use compressed mechanics. Mr. Hong commented: 'Using compressed air is more feasible by making the weight lighter, as long as the thrust is sufficient to create traction and allow the robot to use a separate controller for easy activation. motor in the previous row. ' Now robots are working by attaching a cord to a computer, but Mr. Hong and his students are trying to reconfigure the device to give them independent functions to use the microchip. Handling on boards and power supplies.

'This robot will be able to serve as a very practical testing tool for construction sites without workers present in such dangerous situations.'

The robot is being developed by two students of Gabriel Goldman, mechanical engineering engineer of Richmond, Va, and Nick Thayer of Poquoson, Va, both of whom are pursuing a doctorate in mechanical engineering. fabricated at Virginia Technology Park. The other robot developers are new graduates like Michael Bloom, Florian Böss, Cory Kaser, Vic Kassoff, David McDowell, Spencer Patton, and Jeff Philis.

Goldman and Thayer have been to Seoul to compete in an international robotics competition with their robots. Universities from more than 15 countries around the world participated in 44 entries according to Mr. Hong because he was in Blacksburg during the time the competition was held. The prize is 1,000,000 VND and equivalent to US $ 690. The Korean currency currently has a low exchange rate due to global economic fluctuations and it only retains half of its value.

'There are a lot of excellent candidates in that room and everyone has gained valuable experiences,' Thayer said.

And Goldman 'There is an opportunity to compete with a lot of excellent exams from around the world and is known to everyone as an amazing feeling. "

RoMeLa team won 1,000,000 Won with their robots, HyDRAS-Ascent (Mechanism of bending thanks to separate robot joints for the movement of robots), HyDRAS-Ascent II, and CIRCA (Specialized Robot test climbing with compressed air), at the 2008 international competition. This competition was held at Seoul National University of Technology, Korea.