Robotics Project

Marcus Meyer
He is an 11th grade student who is interested to work on a robotics project.

Marcus’ primary academic interests are mechanical and aerospace engineering. He is a member of his school’s robotics club, and he has taken courses in physics (honors level) and computer science. He has also written several high quality reports for social sciences courses.

Learning objective

• The overall structure was to study a robotics textbook, to study an engineering design textbook, and to build a hexapod robot (and implement a custom maze-solving algorithm).
• Learn more about the fundamental aspects of robotics
• Learn more about engineering design
• Experience a robot build
• Develop a maze-solving algorithm for the robot

What challenges did he face?

• The most challenging aspect of the program was the construction of the robot. It is a tedious task which requires a large amount of time. Sensors provide inaccurate readings, while motors sometimes deviate from their instructions. Yet, when everything aligns, the outcome is truly marvelous.

How did our program help him?

• Marcus learnt about the fundamental aspects of robotics and engineering design.
• Marcus completed his mentorship program with a hexapod robot. He learnt to conceptualize different wall-following algorithms and suggesting potential improvements.

Matched mentor

The mentor is an Associate Professor at Saint Martin’s University and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington. He teaches in the fields of mechatronics, including dynamical modeling, control systems, and robotics. His research includes the enhancement of magnetic resonance technologies, especially magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM), through hyperpolarization.

“Marcus excelled in every aspect of the project. He was very courteous and asked great questions that demonstrated that he thought through the material extensively. His ability to converse about these topics was outstanding.“

Mentor from Saint Martin’s University