People look to West Virginia for its mining expertise, especially when it comes to coal. Now they can look to West Virginia for its mining expertise? on the moon.
A team of students from the West Virginia University College of Engineering and Mineral Resources recently competed in their first Lunabotics Competition sponsored by NASA. Despite getting a late start in their planning, the team finished third in the mining competition, third in the bandwidth efficiency competition and earned honorable mention recognition for team spirit and innovative design.
“For us, the competition comprised a semester of design and preparation,” said Powsiri Klinkhachorn, professor of computer science and electrical engineering in the Lane Department, who served as the team’s advisor. “The field of competitors was whittled down through a series of deadlines for documentation submittals, proof of operation and, ultimately, traveling to Kennedy Space Center for the competition.”
The international competition challenged 46 teams of students to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator called a lunabot, to determine which could collect the most simulated lunar soil within 15 minutes. The complexities of the challenge include the abrasive characteristics of the simulant, the weight and size limitations of the lunabot and the ability to control the lunabot from a remote control center.
The competition included teams from University of Alabama, Auburn, Colorado School of Mines, Florida State, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, University of North Dakota and Virginia Tech. Top honors in the competition went to Laurentian University in Ontario, Canada.
“WVU enjoyed the support of many area alumni who stopped by our pit area and observed our competition offering their encouragement,” said Ben Knabensure, student team leader. “Our most notable alum, retired NASA astronaut Captain Jon McBride, supported the team from its inception and stopped by often, taking time from his busy schedule for team photographs and autographs.” McBride was on campus in late January and offered critiques and advice to the team.
“We are very proud of the effort of our team at this year’s competition,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “For a first-time effort, the team represented the University very well and exhibited great enthusiasm, spirit and dedication to the work ethic needed to be successful in the competition.”
WVU’s Lunabotics team was sponsored by the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium, WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
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mcd/6/8/11
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, CEMR
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu