Design and technology teacher and past participant of our CPD 'Using robot wars as inspiration for STEM', Daniel Grant, talks about how he is trying to take his classroom all the way to the Robot Wars arena.
I have a history of building combat robots, so creating a Robot Wars entry with the students seemed like the perfect way to explore how students could be engaged in engineering through a really exciting hobby.
Over the last few months, the team have had to use 2D and 3D CAD Software, physics, maths, materials theory, spreadsheets to manage workload, English to write letters for sponsorship and design skills in coming up with workable ideas. It’s the need for students to draw on a range of skills from across their school subjects that I really like about a Robot Wars project. Plus, the team wanted the opportunity to build something designed to destroy!
The student team consists of 8 students (3 girls, 5 boys), aged 13 to 15 years old. Work on the robot happens once a week after school, but once the armour and drive mechanism parts arrive we will be meeting twice a week with the aim of finishing by the end of the school year.
To start with, the students designed and tested different ideas out for the robot. Due to the complex nature of the internal workings, the students are using a version of a machine that I designed last year. However, the frame and anything that bolts to the frame is all down to the students. The final designs were created in CAD using PTC Creo and 2D Design. Creating the design in CAD helped the students to visualise their robot, assembling it virtually to understand how the different parts would fit together and the sizes of materials that they needed for the final build.
The students are really enjoying experimenting with things like suspension and the aesthetics of the robot. They investigated whether or not in-built suspension would be possible in the wheels, drilling different sized holes to discover where the wheel could withstand pressure.
Creating the robot has given the students the chance to work with a number of local engineering companies. Over the past few months the team have sent out letters, searching for sponsorship for parts and materials. Generous donations from AES Engineering ltd, J G Pears ltd and the Holmes Hines Memorial Fund have helped get things off the ground! MTL Advanced provided manufacturing support to the team, giving the students the chance to tour their facility and see the equipment that will be used to make the laser cut panels for the robot.
As a teacher it’s been challenging to tailor the team’s designs and ideas to a project suitable for their abilities and machinery available in the school. Essentially taking a very complex machine and made it feasible for students with little metal working experience. With that in mind we’ve not included a high power weapon... this year!
The team have and are still having to overcome many issues that engineers face in the workplace. Raising funds, managing finances, gaining new practical skills, reading drawings, working to tolerances, and that’s in addition to the crucial employability skills of working well with others and managing a project. The students are doing a fantastic job and I hope that this project can become a brilliant stepping stone in their future career!
So, what’s next for our robot? The next few weeks will see the team adding armour plating and attaching the wheels. With £2,000 still left to find to fund the project, the team is still on the look-out for new sponsors. We are aiming to apply for series 4 of Robot Wars. To be in with a chance, we will need to supply a CAD model, a profile of the team, some test videos of the team and the robot, photographs of our progress and if possible, the finished robot. If we are successful, we will have to raise funds to pay for the trips to the Robot Wars arena in Glasgow. More than enough work to keep our fantastic Robot Wars team busy for the next few months!
If you would like to find out more about the team's robot, you can follow their design and technology department on Twitter (@BradfieldDT) or contact Daniel Grant for more information: DGrant@bradfield.sheffield.sch.uk