Spreading Good News thru the Gospel of Robotics

[World Fan]

But they have already started "somewhere" , Solid Edge, which is working for them.

Better they spend their time designing and testing their solution than sifting through dozens of software products which ultimately won't add much value to the project

I do not agree with that mindset at all. Technology is ever evolving.

I was looking for 'something'. Only took me a couple hours to find 'something' that i could use.

How valuable is your time?

[Tilla]

Yes you can!

Who seh anything bout buying? Mathlab even has a demo version if yuh fraidie-fraidie. SolidWorks, Nastran Patran are hard to get but as time goes by......

You need innernet connection, desire, time and some wit.

You seem as if all you want to do is get the very best out there irrespective of how it will be used. Many a multi-million dollar companies are built on using the SolidEdges, SolidWorks, Inventor by AutoDesk and Pro E Wildfire. Stepping up to Nastran and Catia is just a waste and would provide programs too complex for something like this. Why invest in a Lamborghini when a Mini Cooper will do?

Based on my eperience, I would say SolidEdge or SolidWorks would be more than capable for what they are doing. Chances are, they are not even going to be using 1/10 of the capability of the software.

One more thing, Demo programs only show you what something can do, they do not give you enough time to build a program around. I see many coworkers get the MathLab Demo only for it to be shut down within 30 days and they are forced to buy anyway. At my current company, some of our software and electrical engineers use MathLab in their everyday design and systems integration tasks. The kids in this program will not be doing the level design and analysis and integrating with software, so what is the point of getting MathLab?

[Don1]

Yow...when yuh ready mek wi set up a videoconference link between MBHS Robotics and JC Robotics to share experiences

We did that in the earlies wid one school out of Staten Island.. we "copied" their development model, optimized it for JA conditions and now can teach them many tricks

****!! dat sound positively Oriental!

[Islandman]

Technology is ever evolving and getting better, but for most people it is a means to an end , not an end in itself. Finding new technology is merely the first step, you need to master it, then you need to convert to it. Having worked in IT all my life I can tell you that those last two are quite significant in terms of time and resources required.

If you already have a 20 MP digital camera with 10x zoom and then a 24 MP camera with 12x zoom comes out, should you buy it because it is "better" even though you don't need more than 12 MP and 8x zoom for 95% of the photos you take? I don't, I prefer to let the geeks who love technology just for the sake of it pay Nikon and Canon back for their R&D costs , then when the day comes when my camera is no longer adequate l spend the time to research where the current camera technology is.

For the needs of what JC or any other high school robotics club has, I am certain that they are nowhere close to being limited by the software they are already using.

[Islandman]

Thank you Tilla. I didn't read this before I posted up top or I wouldn't have bothered.

I guess worldfan must buy a new laptop every 9-12 months, right after a faster processor comes out. LOL.

[World Fan]

Introduce the teenagers to what is out there in the real professional world. Teenagers have time. Some will grasp and even show you a thing or two in a few months, some wont. They are only a couple years from college anyway. 6th from is like community college.

Had a Toyota Corolla for years. Died with 240,000 miles - oil pan was leaking. Served it's purpose well. Given the choice I would go more for a Range Rover over a Lamborghini, because it is more practical.

I know one young guy just graduated college. Knew nothing about CATIA or Solid Works before college. School stopped teaching Solid Edge and is now teaching Works instead. There is very little he doesn't know about CATIA. He is a tutor now. Consults with industry professional who are part of faculty.

eg.You can go into CATIA drafting workbench and do Free Body Diagrams representation - set up your reaction, shear, moment diagrams, adjust your text, arrow size, beam thickness etc. printscreen>paint>crop(colour?)>paste into word>print > you have a professional looking piece of work

It can be as simple as you you want and as complicated as you want.

At a young adult's level - 6th form - creating trusses, assembly, and applying forces, analysis and doing simulation is not complicated, out of this world proposition.

[Islandman]

Funny I was just thinking about something like that this morning driving into work.

I will talk to them early in the new year when they are back at school. I Skype with them fairly often so that would probably be the best option.

I am getting some interest from a few schools out west as well since one of the Utech IEEE club members went back home to MoBay.

[World Fan]

Thank you Tilla. I didn't read this before I posted up top or I wouldn't have bothered.

I guess worldfan must buy a new laptop every 9-12 months, right after a faster processor comes out. LOL.

I am on a 4+ year old ASUS. Have another Dell but do not plan on getting another until MRAMS come out. Even then, i might even wait a bit because they might jack up the prices.

[Islandman]

You do realize that they also have to build, program and test the robot to make sure it works before they spend US 10K+ to go to New York to compete right?

You think their time is better spent learning 5 software products which do practically the same thing for their purposes, than working on the autonomous programming and testing the motors and sensors on the robot they are building?

Should they also learn all 3 or 4 programming languages supported by the robotics kit firmware instead of learning one and mastering the programming itself?

[Tilla]

You are still missing the point. CATIA or Nastran are really high end programs which are not really needed for this level of work. As a matter of fact, the SE, SW, Inventor and Wildfire dominate the US market more than say a CATIA or Nastran.

The point I am making is that what they are doing does not require that level of software you are pushing. Schools still teach SolidEdge and if you ask me it is fairly comparable to SolidWorks, although SolidWorks may have a slight upper hand on them in the market.

I visited a company a few years ago when I was job hunting. The company is a part of a multi-billion dollar corporation and are one of the leading manufacturers of cooling towers in the world. They were using SolidEdge in all their work. I can point to many others who do as well.

I am just saying it is pointless in getting these software which may further complicate situation. If they can avoid the bloat from CATIA or Nastran, then they should.

These guys are trying to make the technology career option fun for these young minds by introducing them to engineering through robotics, that they do not need to further complicate it.

[Don1]

Funny I was just thinking about something like that this morning driving into work.

I will talk to them early in the new year when they are back at school. I Skype with them fairly often so that would probably be the best option.

I am getting some interest from a few schools out west as well since one of the Utech IEEE club members went back home to MoBay.

wi deh bout wen yuh reddy boss

[World Fan]

Nastran is over the top for this level.

Don't know Works. Would like to get it. Have used Edge.

Pro E is a widely used professional tool that you mentioned.

To each his own.

[Don1]

The real problem....

The kit sponsorship is still the biggest challenge to overcome for the schools. I should be getting one for Morant Bay early in the new year. I might try the MATRIX kit which is a cheaper alternative to the TETRIX, and also FTC approved.

Iman the "cost issue" is a cop out.... masking the real problem which keeps Jamaica backward

As you know the Digital Yard/FIRST Tech Challenge robotics model kit costs ~ US$1500 (including any reasonable optional accessories) ...this as you know is a ONE TIME cost since the kit is reusable for year to year game challenges. The game field can be built by the school's industrial arts division or the kids themselves as a club project.. as we did.

The affordability/sustainability issue was the #1 concern we had in developing a project which could scale islandwide ...after locating the appropriate technology level for Jamaican high schools which turned out to be the FTC-type

Schools spend JA$Millions annually to sustain sports programs.... shelled out by alumni who like to shell dung and yap itinually about sports achievements (yes I'm guilty) .... and they find it difficult to seed an "Olympics for the mind" for a one time spend of JA$150K?????

The problem here is ignorance and backward thinking ....not money

[Islandman]

Oh I don't disagree at all. The cost is very manageable. Is less than 10 alumni members been funding most of what I have been involved in at Morant Bay.

It is just not in our culture to spend much money on extra-curricular academic programs. But we knew that going in so....have to try to find a way to crack the code.

[Don1]

Oh I don't disagree at all. The cost is very manageable. Is less than 10 alumni members been funding most of what I have been involved in at Morant Bay.

It is just not in our culture to spend much money on extra-curricular academic programs. But we knew that going in so....have to try to find a way to crack the code.

Dat deh JAVinci Code hard fi krak