Project: Build a robot
Product used: Energy Tube and DryLin R

*University of Arkansas is also the Ocotober Student Spotlight!

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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 by igus®.

In order to win, the team's robot - 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.

During the seeding rounds, the University of Arkansas ’ Green Smog place 12th out of 52 competing teams at the St. Louis regional. The University of Arkansas plans to compete in the 2006 FIRST Robotics competition and will use igus products.