Mechanalia A Hands-on Engineering and Robotics Educational Summer Camp
In Mechanalia summer camp, students will be exposed to and develop the following knowledge and skill sets:
• the basic physical principles of a robotic device
• the design and engineering process
• fabrication processes including hand and power tool use
Ages 12-18
Monday-Friday 9:30am to 5:30 pm
U.K. College of Engineering Courtyard
Camp Description:
Interior of Mobile Engineering Center
Blue Rover with Robotic Arm
Yellow Rover and Base Station
Want to learn to arm wrestle Newton’s Attic style? If so, then Mechanalia is for you. In this 40 hour, week long camp, students start with a kit of raw materials such as steel tubing, aluminum, plastic and other parts and construct a complete robotic arm and gripper of their own design. Throughout the week, under close adult supervision, students work in the Mobile Engineering Center, a portable machine shop which houses all the hand and power tools one needs to construct a complete, fully functioning arm. Participants will learn a variety of skills including basic physics and engineering principles, the design process, and hand and power tool use.
As the arms approach completion, students will be able to test the functioning of their designs to see how well they work. Near the end of the week, students use their arms in a series of activities in which they attach their devices to robotic rovers, drivable electric vehicles that contain controls that operate the arms. From the passenger seats of the rovers, students will be able operate their robotic devices to retrieve objects on the ground and on various stands. Tweaking the arms to improve their performance, testing hand eye coordination, and seeing firsthand how basic science knowledge is used in the real world of engineering are all in a day’s work at Camp Mechanalia. At the end of camp, students keep their arms.
At the end of the summer camp season, Newton’s Attic will host an outdoor event to which all Mechanalia camp participants are invited. In this event, participants form teams of three to four players and compete in a challenge course in which the object is to score points by retrieving numerous objects scattered throughout. Along the way, they will encounter various obstacles including taking fire from tennis ball cannons perched atop high Base Station turrets. Through a series of elimination rounds, teams score points based on the number and type of objects collected. The highest scoring team wins the tournament.
Notes:
The hydraulic cylinders used to articulate the robotic arms are not part of the kits and are not kept by the camp students unless purchased.
Safety glasses or goggles and gloves provided.
Loose clothing, jewelry, and open toed shoes should not be worn.
Long hair must be pulled back.
When working with power tools there is always the risk of cuts,
scrapes and scratches. Constant adult supervision will be provided.
Cost:$495
Registration Deadline:Mondays, 1 week prior to beginning of each weekly camp.
To register, please call or email bill@newtonsattic.com with the following information: Your name and phone number, the name & age of the student, and the camp name and date in which you are interested.
