These BK Students' Robot Arm Invention Could Help Diffuse Bombs

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — For engineering students, it isn't unusual for school projects to extend far beyond the walls of a classroom — even if that's as far as ending up in tomorrow's operating rooms or military battlefields.

At least that was the case with one engineering project from Brooklyn's New York City College of Technology, which created a robotic arm that could be controlled even without the typical use of a joystick or keypad controller.

The robo-arm, which instead mimics the movements of a programmable "sister arm," took the top spot at this week's Mechatronics Competition at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, an annual showcase of the top engineering projects from the school.

It was created for a school project at City Tech and for the competition, but could eventually be used in medical, environmental or even military situations, the students said. The team of students hope to eventually fasten the arm with a camera and put it on wheels, which could make bomb diffusion a safer task, team member Anisha Cartagena explained.

"The arm that mimics would go out into the field and, for military use, that would eliminate the whole danger factor," Cartagena said. "You're nowhere in that vicinity and it's very easy to use."

Cartagena — along with Giovanni Campos, Lev Gurtis, Christian Jean - Simon and Daniela Medina — had also won the Mechatronics Competition the year before with a similar robotic arm, though she said that arm still required a joystick and keypad to control. This time, the team decided to create the sister arm movement so that those who use the arm wouldn't need joystick training to try it out.

Users can simply manually move the sister arm and even record its motions to be replayed later or on a loop on the mimicking arm, she said.

The robo-arm was one of 10 projects features this year at the competition, which is judged by experts from New Lab and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Other projects included a jet-propelled RC car, an outlet designed for people with disabilities that can allow them to turn on household appliances by blowing on them, and an autonomous vacuuming robot.

The projects, though, weren't the only things that were able to extend beyond the classroom.

Cartagena said one of her favorite parts of the Navy Yard completion was that it let students network with engineers in the real world who work at places they may one day apply to.

"They gave us opportunities to speak to engineers in the real field and they can give us feedback," she said. "Experience (like that) is very important in engineering."

In past years, 10 students participating in the Mechatronics competition have been offered paid internships with high-tech firms through the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation’s Workforce Center, the Navy Yard said.

At the competition this year, the networking portion also included high school students from the new STEAM Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, who were able to talk with the industry professionals as well.

“Seeing the excitement, skill and dynamism of the students really underscores our commitment and work to our tenants, students and our education partners," Navy Yard President David Ehrenberg said. "Bringing these groups together yield tremendous creative energy and, most importantly, opportunities to advance and work in their fields of interest."