The ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition (SMRDC) is an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their ability to design and build a mechanism or a robot.
For this competition, a mechanism is defined as:
"Any device that transmits a force or a motion to perform a mechanical task. It may consist of rigid or deformable bodies connected with kinematic or flexural joints. It may be constructed of any type of materials, including smart and other active materials. It may be actuated by means of any transduction principle and employ any form of energy input. The size of the device can range from the nano-scale to macro-scale."
A robot is defined as:
"An electro-mechanical system which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own. A robot should be able to do some or all of the following: move around, operate a mechanical linkage, sense and manipulate their environment, and exhibit intelligent behavior, such as behavior that mimics humans or other animals. The size of a robot can range from the nano-scale to macro-scale."
The competition comprises two rounds:
Round 1 (Qualifying Round): Participants submit a Letter of Intent and a written report on their entry. All entries are evaluated by a panel of judges chosen from academe and industry. The top five entries in each category qualify for the next round.
Round 2 (Demo and Presentation): This round will be held at the 2020 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences in Louis, MO from August 16 – 19, 2020. Each team will be required to make:
Oral presentation (4 minutes only) describing their entry
Interactive poster and prototype presentation
Email reports and letters of intent to: yushe@mit.edu with '[ASME SMRDC 2020]' in the subject line.
We are aware of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation around the world, and we have extended the deadlines of the 2020 ASME M&R Student Design Competition. The deadlines are now updated as follows:
Letter of Intent: due April 3 (Friday), May 1 (Friday), 2020 11:59 PM PST
Final Written Report: due May 1 (Friday), June 5 (Friday), 2020 11:59 PST
Notification of Finalists: June 19 (Friday), July 1 (Wednesday), 2020 11:59 PST
Final Round: August 16 – 19, 2020
Dr. Yu She
Postdoctoral Associate
Embodied Intelligence Group, CSAIL, MIT
32 Vassar St, Rm 32-311, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Email: yushe@mit.edu
URL: https://sites.google.com/view/yu-she
Dr. Mark Plecnik
Assistant professor
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
372 Fitzpatrick Hall,
University of Notre Dame
Email: plecnikmark@nd.edu