Power/failsafe LED

[jamesb]

yep, seriously, combat robot beng.

mad world

[robotwars]

Yes, Warwick college run a 2 year course specifically designated to robot wars.
It has been running for 3 years now I believe, in the past have built feather weights, however we are running an event for them, where over the last two years they have been designing and building their first heavy weight, and upon completion will test it in the RR arena against the €œ professionals €œ

Jonno
http://www.roamingrobots.co.ukwww.roamingrobots.co.uk

[fluppet]

Yum, tasty humble pie.

Oh well, if you can get a course in computer game testing, I guess I shouldnt be surprised. Who on earth decided to fund it? Even as a fan of the sport, Im not quite sure what it adds to the education of the individual or the advancement of knowledge (at least, a degrees worth - Im sure you could get a run of lectures out of it).

Id be interested to know who teaches it, and how much combat experience there is out there to pass on. I look forward to meeting some graduates!

Sorry, Ive dragged us way off topic, although perhaps everyones had their say on LEDs by now.

--
Fluppet

[leorcc]

And by this time im sorry i asked.

[jamesb]

If Warwick is anything like the university I went to (wont say which as I dont want to get sued, and yes, these petty minded backstabbers probably would if they saw this.... not bitter) the course is a mechanical engineering course that some bright spark has called robot wars becuase they have related it to building a robot. If they are anything like NEW.... (oops, almost put an I at the end of that and told you which uni,) they have no experience in the robot building, no specialist knowledge, and no previous building to rely on. centre of excellence eh?

I really hope Warwick is different, because the thought of having universities producing graduates that have a degree in whatever when not one person in the uni has the slightest idea what they are doing is really something that grates on me.

For example, the cr4p place I went had a motorsports degree, and it turned out that the only person within 1/2 mile of the uni with any motorsport experience whatsoever, was me. Not good.

Anyhoo, if Warwick has any foundation in robots, I applaude their efforts to bring it to the students, and I look forward to seeing their robots.

Cheers
James

[blazerbotics]

I have the same problem james :sad: im doing a course, animatronics, that is at least 70% pratical. yet i seem to spend all of my week learning how to programme computers.

Colleges do tend to allow more pratical based courses then unis.

BTW im at bradford uni, i dont care if i drag their name through the mud!

[jamesb]

Im currently taking my uni to court so I have to be careful (oh yeah look, nobody would guess who Im refering to)

It just upsets me, mainly because I had some very good friends in uni who had come all the way from Baharain, and this was their one shot at getting a british degree. They were told this degree would mean they would know enough about motorsport to make a career running race teams, and they have gone back to Baharain with no idea how to cornerweight a car, let alone run a team.

Im not saying all unis do this, but its a subject I am very disturbed by, as we will have a nation of people with degree in things they know nothing about.
I knew a guy on the mechnical engineering course that told me he didnt know what an M6 thread was, after 4 years doing a degree in mechanical engineering. sad really

[s8nsmum]

I agree completely, the degree im studying for now (mechanical engineering) is almost totally theorhetical. Because of health and safety we are not allowed to go near a welder or any other equiptment that a future employer will assume we know how to use. Over 50% of the graduates from my course will come out knowing how to design the best turbofan or compressor on the planet but not a clue how to put it together. These people will be out in the real world building bridges and cars when I wouldnt trust them to open a can of beans that was already open, i expect a few major catastrophies in about 5 - 10 years.
Joseph Townsend

[babeth]

What you guys have been writing the past days has only reinforced my opinion (or rather prejudice) about people with university degrees: I never trust one to do something practical. Being a university graduate myself (been collecting a few degrees) has only made it worse and makes no difference. But, a big BUT... when one takes the trouble to learn things by hands-on practice then he/she will do a great job. I learned the hard way and I know a lot of people who didnt (I am talking about my fellow students here, and students I knew when still on the university, not targeting anyone on this forum) thus making them frightfully stupid when it comes to handywork.

My favorite writer is Terry Pratchett and in his Discworld-novel Reaper Man he wrote the following gem that perfectly describes my sentiments:
(The Dean and the Senior Wrangler of Unseen University talking shop.)
What is this thing, anyway?
Its called a shovel. Ive seen the gardeners use them. You stick the sharp end in the ground. Then it gets a bit technical.

Sorry if I insulted anyones feelings but it is just the way I see some people. You see, at university I was taught that no matter what we studied we were the top of society and the superiors of all mankind anyway and this simply by having been at university. But after graduating and having done several jobs I realised that there is only one human group thats really superior and that is the mechanics. They make our society work and I mean that literally.

Uhmm... we are way off topic now arent we ?