RoboMaster 2020

Host department: Department of Computer Science

Supervisor: Dr. K. Y. Wong (Department of Computer Science)

Background of the project

In this project, students will learn AI and robot related technical disciplines (such as machine vision, embedded system design, mechanical control, inertial navigation, human-computer interaction, etc.) through designing and building intelligent robots according to the rules of the RoboMaster Robotics Competition.

Different types of robots are required to cooperate with each other and work together to attack the base of the opponent and at the same time protect their own base. Students will form a team representing The University of Hong Kong to participate in the Competition and compete against other teams from all over the world.

Project details and process

In September 2019, the HKU RoboMaster Team started their promotion and recruitment of new members. Training sessions for the Mechanics, Electronics, and Automation subgroups were organized, and eventually 59 members were selected to join the Team. Starting from December 2019, the Team started designing their robots according to the rules of the RoboMaster 2020 Robotics Competition. They completed the designs of 7 robotics by the end of January 2020.

Fabrication

Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, many of the team members did not return to Hong Kong after the Chinese New Year. Besides, the Dream Lab at HKU and the InnoSpace at Kowloon Tong were closed. As a result, team members encountered tremendous difficulties in terms of manpower and working space in building their robots. Even though the Team had only less than 10 members in Hong Kong to carry out the actual building of the robot, they managed to fabricate all the structural parts for the “Hero” robot and about 80% of the structural parts for the remaining six robots. They also successfully assembled the “Hero” robot in a narrow window of two weeks when the InnoSpace was reopened. 

Although DJI cancelled the competition originally scheduled to be held in Shenzhen in Aug 2020, the Team participated in the online competition and was awarded the 2nd Prize.

Besides, the Team also participated in the (online) InnoShow in Jun 2020 to showcase their project.

Project result
  • Formed the HKU RoboMaster Team 2020 with 59 members.
  • Completed the 3-month workshop training for new members on robot related disciplines.
  • Completed the designs of 7 robots for the RoboMaster Robotics Competition.
  • Completed the building of the “Hero” robot.
  • Fabricated 80% of the structural parts of the remaining six robots.
  • Showcased the project online at InnoShow in June 2020.
  • Prepared a project poster.
  • Prepared a project website.
  • Prepared multiple video clips showing the work of individual members.
  • Awarded the 2nd Prize at the RoboMaster 2020 Robotics Competition (Online).
Student learning and achievements

Through this project, students acquired knowledge in robot related technical disciplines, including machine vision, embedded system design, mechanical control, etc. They successfully applied their engineering knowledge to design and build intelligent robots for specific purposes. 

Besides, they were able to acquire self-learning and problem solving skills, which enable them to overcome unforeseen problems, make informed decisions and work under constraints of limited time, human and financial resources. Through discussions and collaboration between peers from different disciplines, students learnt how to communicate with peers with different backgrounds effectively, and how to be a good team player.

Design and assembling

Future plan

The HKU RoboMaster Team will start recruiting new members again in Sep 2020. 19 of the existing members will stay in the Team to pass on their knowledge and provide training to the new team members. With their experience gained in the past few years, we hope that the Team can achieve better performance in the RoboMaster 2021 Robotics Competition.

Sharing by supervisors

2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. Due to COVID-19, both the normal lectures as well as student activities have been seriously affected. In particular, members of the HKU Robomaster Team were scattered, and their working space was closed.

Nonetheless, Team members had tried their best to continue their robot development and seized the narrow window when the InnoSpace was reopened to complete their Hero robot. They had also made effective use of video conferencing to conduct their regular team meetings. I believe they can continue to improve their designs and build even better and more robust robots for the coming competition in 2021 summer.
Sharing by students

“I was very intrigued by the opportunity of making robots. Gaining hands on experience is great but interacting at a deeper level with geeks is perhaps even more enriching.“

Joyce X. Wang, Team member

“My engineering skills and innovative thinking have strengthened a lot. This competition is exactly a reality video game. Any crazy ideas can become true, such as car moving horizontal and the mushroom in Mario Cart.“

Hostin Kwok, Team member

“The competition gave an opportunity to have a glimpse of the industry-level developing procedure and a chance to get involved in real software development. The experience in the team is somehow like an internship but with more motivations and a stronger sense of achievement afterwards.”

David Y. Liu, Team member

“During my time in RoboMaster, I have learned a lot on not only technical skills on how to develop a robot but also skills on how to interact with people. The most satisfying experience of all is to implement the power management system to allow the car to get extra power when needed for slope climbing or acceleration.“

Feng Yip, Team member

Awards

HKU RoboMaster Team Won 2nd Prize at RoboMaster 2020 Robotics Competition (Online)

 This article appears in the news at HKU website of Faculty of Engineering and Department of Computer Science

HKU RoboMaster Team, HerKules, was awarded the Second Prize at the RoboMaster 2020 Robotics Competition (Online). Team “HerKules” is comprised of students from different Engineering disciplines (Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering) and Science, with Dr Kenneth K.Y. Wong from the Department of Computer Science as their supervisor.

The online assessment results can be viewed here.

Useful links
Instagram
Email

hkurobomaster@gmail.com

Learn more about HKU RoboMaster

Learn more about RoboMaster @ previous Inno Shows

Sponsors

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all of the support we received from our donors, which include:

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