The Bearcat II robot is designed as a kit or industrial erector set so that other schools can copy our design and enter the contest. Many of our team members are also industrial engineers, so a kit of industrial size and components fits their background. Automated robots have a variety of applications, according to Hall. The military is exploring robot tanks. The Society of Automotive Engineers would love to have safer cars, since about 50,000 people in the U.S. are injured in car wrecks each year.
Several hospitals use automated guided vehicles to deliver food to patients.
From a teacher's view, this is the most fun way I have ever found to teach feedback control, kinematics and dynamics of mechanisms, sensors and vision and artificial intelligence. The UC Robot team also teaches leadership, and the team members get to know each other and often help each other better than I could. During the contest they also helped the teams from Japan and Michigan and others. Hall said the international competition is an opportunity to compare UC's performance with other schools from around the country and world. Coming in third place shows me that they compare very well and are just as bright and capable and reliable as anyone.