Building a factory with Lego – and then using a laser in the factory – is that all about?
Yes! Students from the Jade Hochschule Wilhelmshaven have proved this.
The students around the lecturer Andreas Baumgart have built an automatic, fully functional mini-factory to produce paper cubes. The Papercube project uses Lego components. Java is used to program the Lego Mindstorms parts.
Andreas Baumgart, teacher for special tasks in the Department of Management, Information, Technology (MIT), has received the Jade Award 2016 for this work. Thus, particularly successful didactic projects are awarded.
“Papercube” consists of several modules in which the paper is transported, processed and finally folded and glued. In the system, even a laser is operated, which is nevertheless strong enough to cut out the paper in the correct contour … so that after the folding also really a cube arises. Of course, one has also thought about safety: the green special glasses allow the process to be observed without endangering the viewer.
The modularity and the use of the Java programming language makes the project particularly interesting, because many different learning tasks can be derived from it.
In the meantime, a small production facility is being built around the world, taking part in competitions. For example, recently at the WRO – the World Robotic Olympiad in New Delhi, India. Here is the interesting report by Fabrice Weinberg about the participation .
Picture source and further information: Jade Hochschule Wilhelmshaven
