For the past six years, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been participating in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics, a hands-on engineering competition where teams of students are challenged to design, build and program a robot to perform varying tasks. For the 2005 season, two graduate students and one professor used Energy Tube and DryLin® linear bearings donated in conjunction with igus® Inc.’s Y.E.S. (Young Engineers Support) Program.

The students used the free components on their robot – Green Smog – designed specifically for a game called Triple Play. During the challenge, two teams of robots go head-to-head in a competition of precision and wits. In order to win, Green Smog had to place large four-sided frames on top of tetrahedron goals.

To accomplish this objective, the team, comprised of Traig Born, James Tidwell and Dr. Andrew Wright, equipped Green Smog with a vertical lift they named the Liftetup. The device, comprised of a scissor-lift module, used DryLin R self-lubricating, maintenance-free plain bearings to increase the efficiency of the module by 50 percent.

The team also used a System E2 Energy Tube, an enclosed style cable carrier, to manage and protect the numerous wires used to keep the robot running. In addition to keeping the cables from entangling or being damaged by its robot's competitiors, the lightweight feature of the E2 Energy Tube also allowed the team to reduce the weight of its robot, a crucial requirement in qualifying for the event.

During the seeding rounds, the University of Arkansas ’ Green Smog place 12th out of 52 competing teams at the St. Louis regional. Wright, the team’s advisor, attributed some of his students’ success to the help provided by igus and the Y.E.S. Program.

“We have been an active part of the Y.E.S. Program since its beginning and were very excited to receive free products and support from igus,” said Wright. “The Y.E.S. Program is a great way to get students excited about engineering, while at the same time making it easier for them to participate in enriching competitions such as FIRST Robotics.”

The University of Arkansas plans to compete in the 2006 FIRST Robotics competition and is eager to enlist the help of igus for a second time. Wright also intends to use donations provided through the Y.E.S. Program in other areas of his engineering curriculum.

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