October 2017 marked the commitment of eight Arts et Métiers engineering students Arts et Métiers the Lille campus to the French Robotics Cup, which will take place on May 9, 2018, in La Roche-Sur-Yon in the Vendée region.
The French Robotics Cup
The French Robotics Cup is the largest annual gathering of engineering students and amateur robotics clubs. Each team participating in the French Robotics Cup must design a robot capable of adapting and solving various problems. Each year, the theme of the competition is different. 2018 is marked by the technology of the future, which is why the chosen theme is "the city of the future," with an emphasis on sustainable development. This year, Paul, Alexandre, Sébastien, Thomas, Jean-Eude, Robin, Martin, and Vincent, all second-year students in the general engineering program at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille, are competing in the competition.
Multiple skills
This participation in the French Robotics Cup, initiated by the students, is very rewarding. Adel Olabi, a teacher-researcher at the Physical and Digital Systems Engineering Laboratory, who is supporting the students in their project, says, "When an initiative like this comes from the students, it's even more interesting because they are all the more involved." Indeed, engineering students are constantly striving to surpass themselves. "What we do as part of our participation in the French Robotics Cup is closely linked to the courses we take on campus, particularly in mechanics, electronics, and computer science. But we also develop skills that complement our courses," explains Paul. Engineering students are required to work in teams, seek solutions to the problems presented, and also find funding. Dagoma, a company specializing in 3D printing, is one of their main partners, along with the Arts et Métiers engineering company.
Expected participation
"Taking part in a competition like this isn't easy," says Alexandre. "As this is our first time participating, we're starting from scratch. While some teams in the competition already have a mobile platform assembled, we have to design ours from the ground up." To build their robots, teams can choose to assemble ready-made parts, but the team from the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille has decided to build their robot entirely from scratch. This gives them greater expertise, as they are responsible for choosing the components and assembling them. "And there's another important point," adds Thomas, "it's much cheaper!"
"We can't wait for May 9," say the Arts et Métiers engineering students. The French Robotics Cup will be an opportunity for them to share their knowledge and discover the solutions devised by other teams in a "spirit of camaraderie" where participants help each other.
