Operating a Lego robot with an Android phone is one of the experiences on offer at Charles Darwin University’s Open Day on Sunday.
Constructed from a Lego Mindstorms kit, these robots have been fitted with Bluetooth compatibility devices that allow anyone with an Android mobile device to control the robot’s motions.
Senior Lecturer in Information Technology Charles Yeo said visitors to Open Day could check out programs that controlled robots, and gain an understanding of what IT students learn at CDU.
Resulting from a collaboration between CDU’s engineering division and the Centre for Renewable Energy, an electric car will also be on display at Open Day to showcase the work of French, Dutch and local CDU mechanical and electrical engineering students.
Marking an exploration into the new generation of energy storage technology, lithium iron phosphate batteries have been fitted to a 1992 Daihatsu Mira, proving the car can generate the same amount of power using roughly half the weight of traditional lead acid batteries.
Lisa Havas, of the Centre for Renewable Energy, said: “We like to think that one day we will live in a city where we will use solar energy storage technology so that drivers can just plug in and recharge their car batteries anywhere.”
The car, which is powered by the motor from the university’s retired Desert Rose solar car, also uses parts made from a 3D printer.
Drop by the Engineering and Information Technology exhibition booth at the CDU Basketball Courts during Open Day to see these ingenious student-led projects and more.
The CDU Open Day will run from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 26 August 2012. For program information visit http://www.cdu.edu.au/openday/index.html.