Think like an engineer: Design a virtual clawbot

Robots are used for jobs that humans either don’t want to do or can’t do. These jobs usually fit into categories known as the three Ds: dull, dirty, or dangerous.  But before a robot can start doing it’s job, it needs to be tested in virtual reality to make sure it’s up to the task.

Get creative with design in class

In this project, pre-engineering instructor Brian Stevenson shows you how to design a robot from the “dangerous” category. The VEX Virtual ClawBot is designed to dispose of spent nuclear fuel rods—a task way too toxic for humans to handle.  In a series of videos that represent the design thinking process, Brian uses Autodesk Inventor software and the VEX Robotics Kit to design and test a virtual prototype of the VEX Virtual ClawBot. The resulting real-life solution is a mechanical robot that picks up and disposes of soda cans that represent the spent nuclear fuel rods.