A team of University of Louisiana at Lafayette engineering students built a small robot that can conduct triage and then transport mock disaster victims.
That ability earned it first place in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Region 5 robotics competition.
The contest was held Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. The University of Houston placed second, St. Mary’s University was third, LeTourneau University placed fourth, and the University of New Orleans was fifth.
Teams built small robots that were able to locate and transport disaster “victims,” colored wooden cylinders positioned on a playing field.
Two red cylinders represented severely injured victims; two yellow cylinders represented moderately injured victims. The robots had to be able to discern which victims were the most injured and prioritize rescue efforts.
Robots navigated obstacles to identify victims, then transported cylinders to designated triage points. Teams earned points based on the number of victims recovered and the amount of time the robots took for retrieval and transport.
Members of the UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Robotic Team are all seniors majoring in electrical engineering. They are: Devin Duhon of Carencro, La.; Macade Husband of Abbeville, La.; Olan “Trey” Lemaire of Youngsville, La.; and Jason Risbourg, of Youngsville, La.
Dr. Paul Darby, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, mentors the team.
From left, Dr. Paul Darby, Macade Husband, Jason Risbourg, Olan “Trey” Lemaire and Devin Duhon.