R.U.R Robotics Club Participates in NHK Student Robot Contest

R.U.R Robotics Club competed in NHK Student Robot Contest
Received a special award, the "ROHM Co!

R.U.R Robotics Club　chairman
Faculty of Engineering Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering　Rintaro Chikaoka, 3rd year

Faculty of Engineering Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering R.U.R Robotics Club (hereafter referred to as "Roboken"), an officially recognized manufacturing circle, participated in the "NHK Student Robocon 2022 - ABU Asia-Pacific Robocon Preliminary Round" (hereafter referred to as "Gakurobo*") held this past June and won the "ROHM Corporation Award. We interviewed Mr. Rintaro Chikaoka, Chairman of ROBOKEN, and the teams that participated in the Gakurobot.

※NHK Student Robocon 2022 ~ABU Asia-Pacific Robocon Representative Selection Committee~
This is a robot contest in which universities, technical colleges, and colleges from all over Japan participate. After document screening, the first and second video screenings, approximately 20 teams are selected to compete using their ideas and teamwork. The winning team will represent Japan at the world competition, the ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest.
The competition task for 2022 is "LAGORI". Based on the popular Indian outdoor game "LAGORI", the game is played by two teams of "seekers" and "hitters". The game starts with the seeker throwing a ball to break down an object called "LAGORI", and while the seeker stacks the LAGORI back up, the hitter hits the seeker with a ball to disrupt the stacking. The game is played in two rounds with alternating offense and defense, and the team with the highest total score of the collapsed and re-stacked LAGORI wins.

Congratulations on participating in the Gakurobo competition and winning the special prize, the ROHM Co., Ltd. Award!

thank you.
For Gakurobo, the number of teams able to participate in the finals was reduced by two-thirds compared to previous years, and the judging process was stricter than usual. In addition, the scale of activities was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which raised concerns about whether the team would be able to participate, but they were able to compete successfully.
Our school is a regular participant in the Gakurobo competition, and we are very happy to be able to continue this tradition.

During the test run on the day before the competition, we adjusted the aircraft and the controls to suit the actual environment. In particular, the specifications of the Lagorilla were different from those in practice, so we made fine adjustments. At the end of the test run, we had a mock match with Niigata University, but due to a series of piloting errors, we were unable to load the Lagorilla. However, it was good that we were able to get a feel for what it would be like to compete in an actual match.

Even on the day of the competition, I made some fine adjustments to my aircraft before going into the first match. I was nervous because it was the first match overall, but I was glad that I was able to achieve a "perfect lagoli" by breaking down all the lagoli and stacking them all up.

It's unfortunate that the ball-shooting robot was not performing well throughout the competition, but we managed to come in fourth in the preliminary league of the national team selection tournament and achieve our goal of advancing to the final tournament.
"Perfect Lagory" was recognized and received a special award from the ROHM Co., Ltd. Award.

Could you tell us about the robot you entered?

In this game, there are two robots: "R1", which mainly shoots balls, and "R2", which carries Lagori.

Roboken's R1 "Seiten Hakkyokushiki" is characterized by its rapid-fire ability.
This machine can carry more balls than necessary, and the line from loading to ejecting the balls is smooth, and there is no need to align the balls when ejecting, so it can eject and reload more quickly than a typical machine. In addition, rollers (which are actually caster tires) are used for ejection.
The "Shoten Hakkyokushiki" is separated mechanically and circuit-wise into the launch unit and base unit. This makes it easy to maintain and well-organized.

The Robot Research Lab's R2, "Takemikazuchi," is equipped with a mechanism that can retrieve the Lagori regardless of how it falls, and by stacking the Lagori inside the robot, it aims to shorten the time.
"Takemikazuchi" has distinctive hands. If you make a hand to load a lagoli normally, it will have two degrees of freedom: "raise and lower" and "open and close". However, in order to load a lagoli inside the aircraft, "rotation" has been added, allowing it to operate with three degrees of freedom. This allows for a variety of movements.
In addition, the mechanism for sucking in the Lagori rotates upper and lower rollers, allowing the Lagori to be sucked in even if they are lying on their side.

I named the unit. Its origin is purely a matter of personal preference, but it was taken from a unit that appears in a certain robot anime and a game featuring robots.

What was the most difficult part about building the robot?

The material and shape of the Lagori were unusual, making it difficult to plan the progress of the tasks.

In addition, the initial plan was to stack the lagouri quickly and efficiently by breaking it down in a good shape, but the specifications of the lagouri were changed, which altered the center of gravity balance, making it impossible to break it down in the desired shape.
So, right before the main event, I designed and rebuilt R2 "Takemikazuchi." Normally, I would make a robot in a month and then adjust it in half a month, but I had to make it in two weeks and finish it in one week, so I worked really hard.
This achievement was made possible thanks to the enthusiasm of the members.

Could you please tell us about the Robotics Lab's daily activities?

outline of our activities is the creation of robots. We are roughly divided into mechanical engineers in charge of hardware such as designing and manufacturing the robots, and electrical engineers in charge of software such as machine control and circuit design. There are about 60 members in the club, and only about half of them are actively involved.

My ultimate goal is to win the NHK Student Robocon and, ultimately, the ABU Robocon, but I also participate in other Robocon competitions. As for the other Robocon competitions, they are more for the sake of practicing for the NHK Robocon, so I am really participating for the NHK Robocon.

Some members joined the club after seeing Gakurobo on TV and wanting to make robots, while others took the entrance exam for TUAT because they wanted to try making robots in this club.

As the competition draws nearer, we start to feel more and more nervous, but we all enjoy working on robots because we love them. I feel that the bonds between the club members have deepened as we work together to make the robots for the competition.
In normal years, the group also deepens their friendships through winter ski camps and other events.

Have you had any classes or experiences that have helped you in your activities?

Rather than the fact that what I learned in class is useful, I feel like my activities in the Robotics Lab are reflected in my classes, making them easier. In particular, I can make use of my experience building robots in classes such as "CAD Exercises" and "Mechanical Design."

I built robots in the robotics club in high school, so I think that has certainly been helpful, but since many members of the robotics lab are building robots for the first time when they join, experience is not required.

What are your future goals?

Our goal as a club is to participate in the Gaku Robo Competition again next year.

The biggest challenge for us in this competition was the lack of manpower. Building a robot requires not only manpower, but also a certain level of technical ability.
However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, activities have been restricted, and some of the technology that has been cultivated at the Robotics Research Center has not been able to be passed on properly.

Up until now, the Robotics Lab has had a tradition of providing education through practice. In addition to school robots, we also have tournaments in the summer and plan Robocon events within the club, so in the future, I would like to give my juniors the experience of competing in tournaments and give them advice, thereby improving the overall technical capabilities of the Robotics Lab.

Personally, I would like to focus on club management for a while, but if the opportunity arises, I would like to build robots again.

Please give a message to prospective prospective students.

They are a veteran school that has participated in the NHK Robocon contest many times. If you are building a robot, this is the place to go!
Most of the club members started as beginners, so anyone with an interest in robot building can have fun!
Value your interests and motivation, and do your best to have a fun university life!

(Published on July 11, 2022)