From Drone Racing to 3D Printing, RoboDojo Serves NPS’ Maker Community
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U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Patrick Dionne
From Drone Racing to 3D Printing, RoboDojo Serves NPS’ Maker Community
By MC2 Patrick Dionne
NPS Department of Defense Analysis Lecturer Kristen Tsolis, director of the university’s RoboDojo lab, demonstrates the proper use and functions of a laser cutter to NPS students and staff during the Introduction to Laser Cutting and Engraving workshop, Jan. 18. The workshop is just one of a full slate of workshops available to all students, faculty and staff through the innovative lab.
“Everyone who teaches at the lab are all from different departments on campus, and this umbrella allows students to learn in a very different way than they would in the classroom,” said Tsolis. “It’s not one person with their own little research project, it’s community run. Students come in and claim space and they bring their own problems and solutions. It’s all about prototyping, learning and improving together.”
The workshops include a variety of hands on topics including drone building and racing, laser cutting, virtual reality, Linux use, 3D-printing, robotics operating systems, the use of miniature computers and much more.
“We are talking about physics, we are talking about defense analysis, we are talking about computing and we get this collaboration of people who, in their own department, normally wouldn’t meet people like this,” said Tsolis. “The idea is to break down people’s bubbles to give them a wide range of access to cross campus research that would not happen otherwise.
“This allows students to bring in research projects and research ideas and then these workshops offer the community, the space and the tools for people to come together to work on projects,” she continued.
The workshops are taught by a wide range of staff, students and faculty who bring their unique knowledge and expertise to the NPS community at large. Located in Root Hall, the RoboDojo’s regular hours are Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For more information about the RoboDojo, and a complete listing and schedule of workshops, check out http://nps.edu/web/robodojo/.
NPS Department of Defense Analysis Lecturer Kristen Tsolis, director of the university’s RoboDojo lab, demonstrates the proper use and functions of a laser cutter to NPS students and staff during the Introduction to Laser Cutting and Engraving workshop, Jan. 18. The workshop is just one of a full slate of workshops available to all students, faculty and staff through the innovative lab.
“Everyone who teaches at the lab are all from different departments on campus, and this umbrella allows students to learn in a very different way than they would in the classroom,” said Tsolis. “It’s not one person with their own little research project, it’s community run. Students come in and claim space and they bring their own problems and solutions. It’s all about prototyping, learning and improving together.”
The workshops include a variety of hands on topics including drone building and racing, laser cutting, virtual reality, Linux use, 3D-printing, robotics operating systems, the use of miniature computers and much more.
“We are talking about physics, we are talking about defense analysis, we are talking about computing and we get this collaboration of people who, in their own department, normally wouldn’t meet people like this,” said Tsolis. “The idea is to break down people’s bubbles to give them a wide range of access to cross campus research that would not happen otherwise.
“This allows students to bring in research projects and research ideas and then these workshops offer the community, the space and the tools for people to come together to work on projects,” she continued.
The workshops are taught by a wide range of staff, students and faculty who bring their unique knowledge and expertise to the NPS community at large. Located in Root Hall, the RoboDojo’s regular hours are Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For more information about the RoboDojo, and a complete listing and schedule of workshops, check out http://nps.edu/web/robodojo/.