In 2013, DTU first won the CDIO Cup, at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has won the contest again for the past three years in a row. This year, Le Quang Thanh, a DTU Electrical Engineering student, led his team to victory in Japan.
Le Quang Thanh (in red) with his lecturers and colleagues at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology
The 2018 CDIO Academy took place at the 14th CDIO Annual International Conference at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology in Japan, from June 28 to July 1. Forty Engineering and Technology students from different universities were divided into eight teams of five members each, to research, design, build, test and present their ideas on the topic: “What kind of future will drones bring and how will they affect our daily lives?” They developed the basic concepts and worked together with special tools to design and create a prototype.
Before going to Kanazawa, teams worked online together in two months. After three days in Japan, Le Quang Thanh’s team decided to design an Automatic Delivery Drone. Thanh’s English is fluent and he has previous experience building robots with DTU colleagues. He communicates well and was put in charge of 3D design and prototype manufacturing. Because of construction modifications, the team had only one day left to re-build the prototype from scratch. However, thanks to their excellent teamwork and hard work, they succeeded in impressing the judges and became one of the winners at the 2018 CDIO Academy.
The Automatic Delivery Drone collects products from a conveyor belt and automatically delivers them to customers. Unlike other means of transportation, the drone is fast, convenient, time and labor-saving, and highly practical.
Le Quang Thanh (upper left) and Trish Maguta (lower) presenting
Le Quang Thanh said: “The 2018 CDIO Academy enabled me to employ the knowledge and skills I was taught at university. Thanks to DTU, I was able to make new foreign friends and observe unique robots, particularly the winning entry of the 2013 ABU Rubicon Cup, made by the Kanazawa Institute of Technology.”
Trish Maguta, from the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a third-year DTU student of the ADP partnering with Keuka University in the USA. She also won a third prize at the 2018 CDIO Academy. Trish and her team created a Delivery Drone prototype which also delivers packages to people’s houses and cuts back on cost and traffic congestion.
“At the CDIO Academy, we can learn so much and meet new friends from all over the world. I could not have had this amazing experience without support from DTU. The dedicated lecturers and funding gave us the confidence to compete and succeed.”, Trish said.
The CDIO Council also elected Dr. Tran Nhat Tan, Director of the DTU Learning and Testing Center, as a new Member-At-Large at the conference.
(Media Center)