Robohub.org
 

The latest in ultra-affordable robots: AFRON competition announces winners


by
28 March 2014



share this:
MIT_printable_robot_Foldable
MIT’s printable robot wins first place in Hardware category.

In 2012, the African Robotics Network (AFRON) challenged the robotics community to design a $10 educational robot that could inspire kids worldwide about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. With so many expensive products on the market, the goal was to create a class of robots that are “an order of magnitude less expensive than existing products”. The latest iteration of the competition challenged teams to enhance upon the winning 2012 designs, and to develop easy-to-use software and curricula to go with them. AFRON announced the winners earlier this week.

The big winner for the competition was the print-and-fold robot from MIT, which won first place in the Hardware and Curriculum categories, and second place in the software category. This robot is made from a “patterned 2D sheet, which is folded and then equipped with actuation mechanisms and electronics,” allowing for quick, low-cost assembly. The AERobot from Harvard followed close behind with first place in Software, and two second place spots, in the Hardware and Curriculum categories. The PANYABOT from iHub in Kenya also caught the judge’s attention, earning first place in the Community Challenge category and honourable mentions in the Software and Curriculum categories.

Creating affordable robots for STEM education was AFRON’s mission, but education is not the only area where ultra low-cost robots are desirable. Swarm robotics (where large numbers of robots might work together to perform collective tasks) is another area where robustness, simplicity and affordability reign high.

Says Mike Rubenstein, team member behind the AERobot, “In my research I have created swarm robots, which have many properties that are also desirable in education robots. After seeing the contest requirements, I realized that with some minor modifications, my swarm robots could make useful education robots.” The AERobot is in fact a modified version of the Kilobot robot, with Kilobot’s swarm capabilities removed, the charging and programming simplified, and with some additional sensors.

Despite Rubenstein’s previous experience developing low-cost robots, he says that creating an $11 robot with features like sensing, thinking and locomotion was a challenge, especially when considering that one of the assessment criteria for the competition was the ability of the robot to engage with students and teach them about robotics.

“The software and planned curriculum drove the robot design, so it was critical to understand how the design choices for the robot impacted the possible curriculum for the robot,” says Rubenstein. “For example, we wanted to use software that allowed the robot to be programmed over USB without any additional hardware, which impacted the robot shape, and choice of micro-controller.”

Jury members Dr. Sam Cubero (The Petroleum Institute, UAE), Dr. M. Bernardine Dias (Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, USA), and James Manyika (Mckinsey Global Institute) evaluated each of the submissions along several criteria, including robustness, cost, versatility, ease of use/assembly, documentation, and the ability to engage students and help them learn.

Here are the winners and runners up in each category:

Hardware category

First Place: MIT Printable Robot
(MIT, USA)
Ankur Mehta
Joseph DelPreto
Benjamin Shaya
Lindsay Sanneman
Daniela Rus
 Hardware
Second Place: AERobot
(Harvard, USA)
Michael Rubenstein
Bo Cimino
Radhika Nagpal
 https://sites.google.com/site/affordableeducationrobot/home/hardware
Honorable Mention: Tiny CNC Drawing Robot
(PlotterBot, USA)
Jay Shergill  Fully assembled 3-axis CNC robot, with pen

Software Category

First Place: AERobot
(Harvard, USA)
Michael Rubenstein
Bo Cimino
Radhika Nagpal
 software
Second Place: MIT Printable Robot
(MIT, USA)
Ankur Mehta
Joseph DelPreto
Benjamin Shaya
Lindsay Sanneman
Daniela Rus
 Software
Honorable Mention: PANYABOT
(iHub, Kenya)
Jessica Colaco
Wachira Ndaiga
Muuo Wambua
Elizabeth Ondula
James Kinyanjui
Brian Bosire
 

Curriculum Category

First Place: MIT Printable Robot
(MIT, USA)
Ankur Mehta
Joseph DelPreto
Benjamin Shaya
Lindsay Sanneman
Daniela Rus
 Curriculum
Second Place: AERobot
(Harvard, USA)
Michael Rubenstein
Bo Cimino
Radhika Nagpal
 https://sites.google.com/site/mitetag/
Honorable Mention: PANYABOT
(iHub, Kenya)
Jessica Colaco
Wachira Ndaiga
Muuo Wambua
Elizabeth Ondula
James Kinyanjui
Brian Bosire
 

Community Challenge Category

First Place: PANYABOT
(iHub, Kenya)
Jessica Colaco
Wachira Ndaiga
Muuo Wambua
Elizabeth Ondula
James Kinyanjui
Brian Bosire
 
Second Place: ARX LollyBot Workshop
(Ashesi, Ghana)
Wumpini Alhassan Hussein  http://static.wixstatic.com/media/7efb83_8aa296b40db74fb5a002f2e80f279683.png_srz_p_992_558_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_png_srz
Honorable Mention: Tiny CNC Drawing Robot
(PlotterBot, USA)
Jay Shergill  

 

 

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

 



tags: , , , ,


Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large
Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large





Related posts :



Congratulations to the #AAMAS2025 best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation award winners

  29 May 2025
Find out who won the awards presented at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems last week.

Congratulations to the #ICRA2025 best paper award winners

  27 May 2025
The winners and finalists in the different categories have been announced.

#ICRA2025 social media round-up

  23 May 2025
Find out what the participants got up to at the International Conference on Robotics & Automation.

Robot Talk Episode 122 – Bio-inspired flying robots, with Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez

  23 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez from Delft University of Technology about drones that can move on land and in the air.

Robot Talk Episode 121 – Adaptable robots for the home, with Lerrel Pinto

  16 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Lerrel Pinto from New York University about using machine learning to train robots to adapt to new environments.

What’s coming up at #ICRA2025?

  16 May 2025
Find out what's in store at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, which will take place from 19-23 May.

Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-tos

  14 May 2025
Researchers have developed a new robotic framework that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a how-to video

AI-powered robots help tackle Europe’s growing e-waste problem

  12 May 2025
EU-funded researchers have developed adaptable robots that could transform the way we recycle electronic waste, benefiting both the environment and the economy.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence