In celebration of the European Robotics Week, the METU Center for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (ROMER) organized a series of events for primary and high school students on November 19-20, 2024, as part of the project “Applications in Artificial Intelligence-Supported Robotic Systems,” funded by the TÜBİTAK 4004 Nature Education and Science Schools program.
During the events, participants gained in-depth knowledge about robotic systems, artificial intelligence algorithms, and their applications, while also raising their awareness and enhancing their skills by engaging with innovative projects throughout the program.
The program aimed to enhance the participants’ interaction with technology and provide them with a vision of the future of engineering and science. As part of the program, ROMER also showcased some of its innovative projects, combining theory with practice, and a variety of fascinating activities involving robots were featured.
Autonomous Vehicle Demonstration and Design Process
Participants were presented with a demonstration of the autonomous vehicle developed by ROMER on the Clearpath Robotics Husky A200 unmanned ground vehicle platform. The entire design process of the vehicle was explained in detail, highlighting how autonomous systems are developed.
Impedance Controller Demonstration
The structure of impedance control, a control strategy used to regulate the interaction and response of a system, device or especially a manipulator, with its environment, was demonstrated using the Panda Emika Robotic Arm system. Details were shared about the design process of the controller, as well as its mechanical and software integration.
Legged Robot Systems Presentation
The functionality of the Unitree A1 and Go1 legged robots of ROMER was thoroughly explained, along with the unique leg mechanisms of the robots and the development processes behind them. Participants were also given the opportunity to closely examine the technological infrastructure of these robots.
Drone Demonstration with the VICON Test System
The drone demonstration conducted using VICON, the system used to test algorithms developed for unmanned aerial vehicles, captured the participants’ attention. The demonstration focused on the precise tracking and control algorithms designed for aerial vehicles.
Demonstration of Human-Like Movements
Using the UR3 collaborative robot platform, a demonstration was conducted to show how human-like movements, such as breathing and head motions, are transferred to robots, inspired by Disney’s cartoon characters. The discussion also covered how such movements of the collaborative robots influence the overall perception in the work environment.
Presentation of the “RoboRoyale” Project
The “RoboRoyale” project, supported by the European Union and aimed at preserving bee species, was introduced, highlighting the efforts to robotically mimic communication between the queen bee and worker bees.
