Kent State’s Advanced Telerobotics Research Lab has been chosen to compete in the World Robot Summit. The team’s robot can complete a wide variety of tasks including the ability to go up stairs, and it’s been programmed with immersive control. 

The team was selected as one of 11 finalists in the summit’s Plant Disaster Prevention Challenge category. 

Jong-Hoon Kim, assistant professor of computer science and director of the Advanced Telerobotics Research Lab at Kent State, expressed his feelings towards his team.

The team has been working on this project since 2018 and Kim said he is very proud of the work his team has done.

The ATR team has worked closely with the newly-opened Design Innovation Hub on campus. Normally, the pieces for the robot would be sent out, usually across the world, and take months to get back. But now the team can get pieces cut a lot faster.

Andrea Oleniczak, Design Innovation Hub and ecosystem manager, said the ATR team made the first cuts on the waterjet cutter. A waterjet cutter can cut materials up to a couple inches by using high-pressure water and the DI Hub has the only waterjet cutter in Kent. 

The DI Hub also features tools that all students, faculty and staff have access to. Some of the tools featured are wood shops, 3D printing, and a textile lab. 

The Kent State team was the only team from the United States that were chosen. The final phase of the competition is where they will show off their advanced robot, but since the World Robot Summit has been postponed, it’s scheduled to take place toward the end of this year.

“It was a very exciting experience for all of us, including me,” Kim said. “[The challenge is] a life-changing event that’s very important.”

Hannah Lawrence cover arts and sciences. Contact her at [email protected].