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FIRST, or For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology, is a national
robotics competition that integrates the talents of High Schools,
Universities and Corporations. Now in its 10th year, FIRST
provides opportunities for high school students to work alongside
engineers to design and build a competitive robot in a mere six weeks.
Each year in January, the FIRST organization unveils a new game. Each of
the nearly 500 teams then has six weeks to design and build a robot to
compete in the game. There are weight and size restrictions for the robot
as well as limitations on materials and components. There are a number of
regional competitions throughout the United States during March. The
National competition is held each year at Epcot Center in Florida.
The Human Engineering Research Laboratories
(HERL) has sponsored the “Pitt Crew” for five years now. Working with
Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School as well as TechLink Programs
of Pittsburgh, the Pitt Crew has been near the top of the list for the
past three years. Our association with TechLink makes us the only team
that actively pursues the inclusion of students with disabilities on our
team. Steel Center also incorporates a “robot academy” into its
curriculum for those interested students.
During
the six-week construction period, students are mentored by engineers who
teach them the basics of designing components and systems for the robot.
This includes electrical, electronic, mechanical and pneumatic systems.
Students are all given an opportunity to manufacture their components in
the HERL machine shop. The competition usually involves multiple robots in
a competitive but cooperative contest in which skill and teamwork is the
main goal. Teams must assess their teammates strengths in a short amount
of time and formulate a game plan quickly. The competitions, although
intense are non destructive and it is always to your advantage to help
your teammate.
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21st
Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games
New
York City, 2001
National Veterans Wheelchair Games were held in New York, NY from July 1
– 5 2001. This year 6
research study proposals were submitted to the VA Special Events
Subcommittee for approval to conduct these studies at the NVWGs and three
projects were subsequently approved.
The Director, Medical Director, Associate Director of Research,
Clinical Coordinators, and two graduate students from the Human
Engineering Research Laboratories conducted three research studies during
the Games. The studies
included: (1) “Determine
the effectiveness of the GAMEcycle upper body exercise system
to improve Cardiovascular Fitness, (2)
“Using Feedback From Veterans to Aid in Research Direction”,
and (3) “Application of a
Commercial Datalogger to Electric Powered Wheelchairs for Rehabilitation
Research”. These
research studies dealt with issues regarding an exercise alternative for
wheelchair users, wheelchair maintenance issues, secondary injuries or
impairments related to wheelchair use, and
electric powered wheelchair driving characteristics (i.e. speed,
distance). These research
studies were approved by the Special Events Subcommittee for data
collection at the Games, due to their direct relevance to the Veteran, the
NVWGs, and the VAMC. Data
collection was successful with over fifty Veterans participating in the
studies while also competing in various events while at the Games.
We anticipate submitting additional research projects for next
year’s National Veteran’s Wheelchair Games held in Cleveland, OH and
subsequent data collection while at the Games.
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FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of
Science and Technology) Lego League is an annual robotics competition
designed to stimulate an interest in technical projects for children of
middle school age. Team members work alongside engineers and technicians
to design a programmable “robot” built from Lego and controlled by a
small computer from the “Lego Mindstorm” building kit. Children not
only learn the engineering design process, but also learn about
programming and project management as well. The FIRST organization designs
a competitive game each year. The teams then build and program robots to
accomplish the given tasks within a limited time period. Competitions are
held in late November/ early December. We will be participating this year
in conjunction with a group from Carnegie Mellon University to stage a
regional competition. We also actively recruit children with disabilities
for our team, one of the few, if not the only team to do so. Our goal is
to encourage all children, but especially those with disabilities, to take
an interest in technology and how it impacts our world.
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The Internship Program at HERL
provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in a variety
of educational, clinical, and research training activities at a state-of-the-art
research facility. Engineering and clinical opportunities are available in many
research areas related to the development and evaluation of new technologies and
procedures to improve the mobility and quality of life for individuals with
disabilities. The internship is typically 10-12 weeks in duration, 40 hours each
week. Students are assigned to work on
one or more projects throughout their internship depending on their interests
and HERL’s current research agenda. Projects
may be mechanical in nature (design and fabrication of measurement devices or
wheelchair accessories/equipment), electrical (circuit design and
implementation), computer (programming interfaces for data collection, virtual
reality, and visual output) or clinical (assistance with human subject testing,
data entry, data analysis, and subject recruitment).
Interns are provided with initial training and assistance and then go on
to work semi-independently on their respective projects.
Supervision and mentorship are provided by experienced faculty and staff
(research scientists, physiatrists, clinicians, engineers, and expert
machinists). Throughout the internship, students receive didactic training in
research methodology, scientific writing and presentation and engineering design
and fabrication. At the end of the internship, each student prepares a
scientific paper and presents their project at a research meeting for all HERL
faculty, staff and students. For many students, the HERL Internship Program is
the opportunity that helps them to decide which career direction to choose.
In fact, several of the interns have gone on to enroll in the graduate
programs in Bioengineering and Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the
University of Pittsburgh and have continued to work at HERL as graduate
researchers. Although most
undergraduate interns work the summer months, there are occasionally openings
throughout the year. High
school students are also needed to assist the administrative and clinical staff
with various research, computer and clerical projects.
For more information about the
Internship Program at HERL, please contact Dr.
Alicia Koontz, the HERL Internship Coordinator.
To apply for the internship, please complete the application
and send it to:
Alicia
Koontz, PhD, RET
VA
Pittsburgh HealthCare System
7180
Highland Dr., 151R-1
Pittsburgh,
PA, 15206
TEL:
(412) 365-4833
FAX:
(412) 365-4858
Email:
internships@herlpitt.org
Note:
Application deadline for Summer Internships is March 15
2002 Summer Intern Page
2003 Summer Intern Page
2004
Summer Intern Page
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Home
| Introduction
| Research
| Laboratories
| Publications
| Education |
Affiliations
Standards
& Patents | Personnel
| Activities
| VA
WheelchairInfo | Newsletter