Electrical Engineering Students work with the Aisling Projects to build Lego robots

Lecturers: Gavin Duffy and David Dorran

As part of the B. Eng Tech Degree in Electrical and Control Systems (DT009) and the B. Eng Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering (DT021), 1st and 2nd year Engineering Practice and Design students help children from Ballymun in North Dublin to build Lego robots to compete in the annual DITs Robosumo wrestling competition.

The children involved in this project are part of an after school’s programme known as the Aisling project.  At risk of dropping out from school, these children, aged between 8 and 13 years old, attend the Aisling project every weekday afternoon where they get a hot meal and a secure environment to do homework and play.  They recently acquired some Lego Mindstorm NXT kits and, although very good at putting bits of Lego together, had never programmed a robot before.

The DIT engineering students have a module dedicated to the design and build of a robot to compete in a Robosumo competition. Without the help of the nicely dressed Lego kits, they have the added complexity of building their robots from the bare bones upwards. They must make their own sensors, wire up circuits, connect motors to wheels, build a chassis and get right down to the low level programming language to make the microprocessor operate the robot.

This project offers a chance to combine these two groups of learners. The DIT students visit the children weekly in Ballymun and help them program the Lego robots. Then the children travel to DIT for the day where they take part in engineering lab demonstrations, have lunch and take part in an exciting mini-Robosumo competition - check here for more details on the competition.http://eleceng.dit.ie/robosumo/

A number of train the trainer sessions have also been organised where the module lecturers provide some workshops to the Aisling supervisors on robot programming. This is to ensure continuity for the children on the days the students don’t visit.

What do the students get from it?

In teaching the children, the students develop skills in presentation, communication, listening and explaining, as well as developing a broader social awareness. They also develop key skills in communication – with each other, with lecturers, and to a non-technical audience such as the leaders in the community. The children also act as sound boards for the students’ own emerging ideas that they are grappling with in their own course in robot design and build. They also are able to see a connection between the Lego robots and their own robots; this helps them see the big picture in developing strategy for the Robosumo competition.

What do the community get from it?

The children benefit from having contact with positive role models and through the DIT students gain glimpses of what it might be like to further their education. Also through enjoying the day out in the college they get a sense of what it might be like to go to college and to aspire to that.

Community partners:

Aisling Project Ballymun