Student Robots: When CAD Meets Real Life
In Zurich, a group of students is demonstrating that robots can be more than assembly machines. Their creations, developed over two intense semesters, climb trees, care for corals, and monitor lab mice as if they were the protagonists of a science fiction movie. 🤖 The best part: these prototypes didn't come with an instruction manual; they were born from coffee, CAD, and many sleepless nights.
These robots are like the university final projects we all wanted to do, but with less plagiarism and more real innovation.
MONKEE: The Robotic Tarzan
This tree climber demonstrates that nature is not just for living beings:
- Three anchor points to avoid falling like a beginner
- Lateral movement that would make a parkourist cry
- Modular platform for future improvements
Designing the clamps was like doing rigging for the most demanding character in the world: the bark of a real tree. 🌳
ReefRanger: The Underwater Gardener
This robot cares for reefs with more delicacy than a surgeon:
- Applies nutrients without damaging the corals
- Records data like an obsessive scientist
- "Soft" feeding system that avoids accidents
It's more efficient than rendering an ocean in real time, and definitely more useful. 🐠
ARGOS: The Lab Butler
This automated watchdog cares for rodents as if they were hotel guests:
- Monitors food, water, and activity
- Sends metrics to researchers
- Interface designed for whiskered users (the mice, not the scientists)
Probably the only robot in the world that understands mice better than many first-year students. 🐭
So if you're in Zurich on May 28th, don't miss this exhibition where reality surpasses fiction. And if you can't go, console yourself thinking that these robots will probably have more professional success than many of us. 😉 After all, when your resume includes "reef savior" or "professional tree climber," job offers come on their own.