Developing a Collegiate Robotics Competition Hosted by WPI

Although Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is considered a leader in robotics research and education, it has never specifically hosted a collegiate robotics competition. Through background research on other collegiate robotics competitions, discussions with both representatives from universities and robotics companies, and stakeholders at WPI we have developed a proposal for a collegiate robotics competition. This event would be hosted at WPI in collaboration with TouchTomorrow, a campus-wide event showcasing science and technology in early June. This event would consist of three separate challenges based on real-world problems. These challenges combined with a robotics career fair and networking opportunities would provide many long-term benefits to the school

Quadrupedal Robotics Platform

The purpose of this project is to take lessons learned from past MQPs, current industry products, and current research to create a quadrupedal platform capable of attaining unsupported walking. The team designed the platform to utilize series elastic actuation, force-sensing feet, and custom hardware to create a modular and easily expandable platform for future project use. CNC milling and water-jetting were used to manufacture the complete platform which was then vigorously tested under its own weight to determine its capabilities