By Joseph Hazelwood
Twice in a decade, the Bluefield State College (BSC) robotics team has won world championships in an international autonomous vehicle competition, despite being the smallest school, working with the smallest budget and facing many teams comprised of graduate school students.
Earlier this year, the BSC robotics team won the coveted Paul Lesco Trophy at the international Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) in Oakland, MI, against schools like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech and the U.S. Military Academy as well as teams from Japan, India and British Columbia.
The BSC team won its first IGVC title 10 years ago. “We didn’t have the funding to solve problems by spending money, so our students had to use ingenuity and creative approaches to meet challenges,” says Dr. Bob Riggins, the team’s former coach who recently retired.
The school doesn’t have a lot of funding, so students go to the junkyard for some of the materials used in designing and constructing their vehicle. They’re used to being innovative and coming up with new approaches, and their success is truly a team effort where everybody contributes ideas, expertise and suggestions.
The BSC robotics team and vehicle have become a hot ticket at area functions because of the success it has enjoyed. This past summer, the team appeared in 8-10 events, including county fairs, festivals and minor league baseball games, and the pace of invitations they have received has only increased. The team has also worked with several public schools in the region, promoting the engineering technology program and robotics opportunities at Bluefield State.
Many students are very interested in learning more about robotics, and the team encourages students to visit BSC’s School of Engineering Technology and Computer Science.
The robotics team is made up of students from mechanical and electrical engineering technology, along with students from computer science and civil engineering technology. So how does the BSC team prepare for an encore in 2019 after winning a world title this year? The students practice by competing against themselves in order to improve continuously in the off season. Immediately after winning the 2018 championship, the team retired its autonomous vehicle, Apollo IV, from competition and began design work on next year’s vehicle, Valkyrie.
To up their game, the team is developing blueprints of the mechanical structure of the new vehicle using high-density polyethylene for the shell and structure of the robot, lowering the chassis to gain more maneuverability, shortening the mast of the GPS guidance system and making the new vehicle much lighter by about 100 pounds.
The BSC robotics team’s success has opened a door of opportunity for students and for the college. BSC has had technology and military sector employers recruit its students because of their performance in IGVC, and the team is looking forward to competing with Valkyrie at the 2019 IGVC.
About the Author
Joseph Hazelwood is a native of Lindside, WV. A professor of engineering at Bluefield State College, he holds degrees and certifications in electrical engineering, instrumentation technology, organizational management and leadership studies and is an OSHA certified instructor and master electrician. He is also the owner of Hazelwood Electric-Industrial Safety Services.
1 Comment
Super job!! This shows the growth and commitment of not only the students, but the staff and faculty at Bluefield State College. To compete against the larger schools and win in such a complex and diversified field is amazing. Congratulations and keep up the good work!!