Robots are a way of the future according to one PhD student who’s hoping to a lead a team to the winners podium at the National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition.
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Up to 30 groups from various universities around the country have spent months designing and building robots for the competition that must be able to load objects and navigate through obstacles.
Andrew Short is the team leader for the University of Wollongong’s entry, which has been flagged for the national finals on September 22. Previously he’s enjoyed podium finishes but never first place, but is this year hopeful after he and four others spent more than five months perfecting their electronic craft.
‘‘Having competitions like this really give you the skills to be able to go out and do that in the real world with confidence,’’ he said. ‘‘You don’t really get so much of a hands-on type of thing [in the classroom] ... like how to design a system that works, how to spec out motors and design the actual control systems.’’
Mr Short believes robots will become key players in the future including in manufacturing, search and rescue, and has pegged the evolution of driverless cars hitting Australian roads in a decade.
‘‘They’ve got them working over in the [United States] but I can’t wait to see an actual system that you can buy.’’
