HEXTRONICS
HEXTRONICS summer INTERNSHIP
Students spend their summer as "hexterns," Hextronics interns, creating mechanical projects with the newly released HexTech Muscle development board.
(right to left) Justin Ebanks, daniel richter, and Corey matyas at the Hextech launch on Miami Beach
Students from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, and Palmer Trinity Highschool dedicated their summers to interning at Hextronics. Each intern was given creative freedom to design a useful project at Hextronics, using HexTech to run motors and command robots. The projects these interns created range in functionality, programming, as well as use and aesthetics. Each intern identified a specific obstacle at Hextronics to be addressed with the use of robotics, and coded and designed to make their vision a reality. These creations were showcased by each intern at the HexTech launch event on Miami Beach at the Moonlighter FabLab on August 8th to illustrate the wide range of possibilities that the HexTech Muscle holds.
HEXTRONICS INTERNS BUILD WITH HEXTECH
READ ABOUT THE PROJECTS CREATED BY OUR BRIGHT INTERNS THIS SUMMER
Justin Ebanks crafted a machine which automatically cuts and strips wire at any desired length and quantity. Motivated by Projects with Red, he designed the device to work with the HexTech Muscle circuit board. Justin's creation saves time that would've been spent precisely measuring, cutting, and stripping wires, further optimizing the team's productivity. With the time he saved, Justin was able to program and construct a four-wheeled crate which transported another intern across the manufacturing floor in Hextronics' warehouse!
Alex Knoepffler spent his summer creating a machine that wields a pen and writes your message on paper. He became inspired and modeled his device after analyzing a CNC (computational numerical control) machine utilized by Hextronics to cut sheets of carbon fiber. He developed code to control the movements of the pen and built the mechanism to write your desired text using stepper motors.
See the details of Alex's creation:
Andrea Knoepffler created multiple projects employing gears to run turntables suited for various tasks this summer. Her creation of an automatic directional antenna is pivotal in extending the range which a drone can travel from its base. Using GPS to track the drone's location, the turntable adjusts itself, pointing the antenna towards the drone which maximizes the net distance travelled prior to returning to base. Andrea also used the turntable technique to solve a paramount issue at HexLabs in Homestead, the feeding schedule of Bear, the cat. Her robotic bowl dispenses a specific amount of kibble bidaily to satisfy Bear's hunger. This saves the Hextronics team's time as they would no longer have to travel down south whenever Bear's parents were out of town.
See the details of Andrea's creation:
Frank Ratmiroff developed a creative and new way to use Hextronics technology. He started off by automating a pencil sharpener to familiarize himself with the HexTech board functionalities. He then prepared for the HexTech launch by finding an innovative way to distribute promotional flyers about the event with a mechanical robot arm. To balance the strength of the grabber, Frank implemented an adhesive component to the end of a robotic arm. This way the paper was gripped delicately to prevent damage, but strong enough to dispense to interested parties.
