Design Engineering Contest

Building a robot to compete in a challenge sounds like fun. But what if you have limited resources and time? This course is a simulation of a real-life design engineering experience. How to make something work with what you’ve got. It’s about nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts creative engineering but also about the roles people play in a team.

In the real world of design, there are deadlines and you don’t always have the things you need to make something work. This elective course provides an engaging engineering experience that encourages smart engineering; the overall aim of the course is to increase your skills as team player.

Embrace the idea that design is not just about drawing something, but it’s about making something that actually works. With a rule book and a basic toolbox, teams must build a remote-controlled robot that can complete a simple task like building a tower out of blocks.

Work together to find unique engineering solutions to the challenge. Participate in an elimination style competition, going round by round with the other robots. Gain an understanding of the roles people play in a team, including your own. How do people contribute, how do they behave and what can they learn about themselves while working on an assignment in a team?

In the end, some will win, others will fail, but everyone will learn.

Course Coordinator's perspective

“I think this course is important because it’s real-life engineering, a perfect emulation for how design engineering in real life works. And even the people that lose in the first round still think it’s an amazing experience. They go through the same learning process as the people that win the contest. There’s not just one winner, they’re all winners.”

Arjen Jansen