PROJECTS

NURC's main focus, the projects we work on embody our mission to facilitate creativity and innovation. Every one of our projects is thought of, proposed, and executed by students who wanted to build their ideas. We are also very open to ideas for new projects, so if there's something you want to build and think it would fit well with the club, just let us know!

LACROSSE GOALIE ROBOT

Building a lacrosse goalie robot. The Lacrosse Goalie Robot subteam is working to create a robot that can to block a lacrosse shot from a distance of 8 meters away. There are three main sides of this project: mechanical, electrical, and computer vision. Mechanical work involves designing and creating robot parts using 3D printers and machine tools in the shop, as well as physically assembling the robot. The electrical side involves ensuring the robot's various components are correctly wired together. And computer vision involves detecting the ball as it flies through the air, as well as moving the robot's net to block the ball. Members are welcome to work on one or more of these three aspects. Once finished, we may ask the women's lacrosse team to give it a test!

ROBOTIC BAND

Creating robotic musicians. The robotic band sub-team, also named The Creative Engineering and Robotic Arts Studio (CERAS), aims to seamlessly combine engineering and the arts, specifically by building robots that play music. By the end of the 2024 school year, CERAS will have fabricated a performance-ready robotic band that will tour throughout campus, which we hope to bring to venues such as Dillo Day and Battle of the Bands. So far, we have completed the functional components of the drummer robot and are looking to finish the keyboard robot by the end of next quarter. This year is looking great for CERAS, so strap in, and let's make some noise!

MAKERS DIVISION

Constructing an AI driven foosball table. Each year, this project is devoted to working on an idea using low-cost, consumer level hardware to the max. Previous projects have included smart gardens, custom tea kettles, and ML controlled robotic arms. Right now, we're building a fully computer controlled foosball table. The goal is to allow students at Northwestern to play against an AI opponent, and maybe even have a competition where students would create their own AI players and compete in a tournament!

DRONE

Drone team is all about drones. Currently, we have two separate projects running, speed drone and autonomous drone. Speed drone's goal is to beat the world record speed for a quadcopter drone of 180mph, and mostly focuses on aerodynamics, electronic components, and piloting skills. Autonomous drone, on the other hand, is working to build something similar to a delivery drone: being able to detect boxes, pick them up, and drop them off at a specified location. This project is more about mechanical design of the grabbing apparatus, computer vision, and PID control.

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